"I'm not worried about losing or getting knocked out" - Stephen Thompson claims he isn't depending on the judges' scorecards moving forward
Stephen Thompson isn't willing to have his fights end via decision and isn't depending on the judges' scorecards for a victory. 'Wonderboy' claims he knows he has to play smart but will aim to give his best.
Here's Stephen Thompson's full interview with ESPN MMA:
During his recent interview with ESPN MMA, Stephen Thompson was asked about his losses to Tyron Woodley and Darren Till that ended via decision. Moving forward, 'Wonderboy' plans on improving on such mistakes, especially at UFC 264 when he shares the octagon with Gilbert Burns.
"Yeah, a 100%. I mean, not leaving it in the judges' eyes is what I caught back from any one of those fights. I gotta be smart out there but at the same time, I gotta give it all I've got."
Stephen Thompson added that he cannot afford to sit back and rely on a particular round; instead, he will look to push forward. 'Wonderboy' also mentioned that he is now capable of fighting with a sense of freedom and without worrying about losing or getting knocked out.
"I can't sit back and wait and think I got this round one, knowing that I got this round I'm still gonna push forward. You saw that in my last two fights, you know. And it's a sense of little bit of freedom out there when I fight now because I'm not worried about losing or getting knocked out, I can just go out there and have some fun."
Stephen Thompson is aiming for an important victory at UFC 264
At the UFC 264 pay-per-view on July 10th, Stephen Thompson's goal will be to secure victory over Gilbert Burns and edge one step closer to the title fight. 'Wonderboy' has been vouching for a title fight against Kamaru Usman and could possibly face 'The Nigerian Nightmare' at some point down the road.
However, Usman is currently in talks for a second fight against Colby Covington and it remains to be seen when the rematch between the pair is booked. Thompson could face 'Chaos' if Covington beats Usman in the rematch.