MANILA, Philippines – Up-and-coming fighter Stephen Thompson might be one step away from securing a shot at Robbie Lawler’s welterweight championship as he is slated to face one-time title challenger Rory MacDonald in the main event of UFC Fight Night 89 on June 19 (June 18 in US).
The fight booking was publicly confirmed on Saturday, March 5 (PH Time), but the card’s venue has not yet been announced.
Thompson (12-1) is a 33-year-old full-contact kickboxer from Simpsonville, South Carolina, who successfully transitioned to mixed martial arts (MMA) in February 2010 by stopping Jeremy Joles in the second round under the Greenville Kage Fighting banner.
Just 4 fights after his MMA debut, he made his first Octagon appearance in February 2012, knocking out Daniel Stittgen with a head kick in the first round.
Thompson's follow-up UFC outing blemished his previously-unbeaten record as he was outpointed by veteran Matt Brown via unanimous decision.
Since his disappointing defeat at the hands of Brown, Thompson piled up 6 straight victories, picking up impressive wins over the likes of Chris Clements, Robert Whittaker, and Jake Ellenberger.
Currently rated second in the 170-pound weight class' rankings, Thompson solidified his position in the division by thumping former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks by first-round technical knockout.
Thompson, who was in the Philippines for a 5-day promotional tour last month, buys the idea of making another trip to the country to vie for the gold-plated strap against Lawler, who is of part Filipino descent.
On the other hand, MacDonald (18-3) was last seen in action when he yielded to Lawler via fifth-round stoppage in their July 2015 second encounter.
Thompson once trained with MacDonald at Tristar Gym in Montreal, Canada and believes that the 26-year-old Canadian stalwart presents a much stiffer test compared to the other contenders in the welterweight division.
“Rory MacDonald didn’t come up with just one style. He came up doing mixed martial arts. He was the first one to ever do that actually,” Thompson told Rappler.
MacDonald has won 9 of his last 12 wins inside the UFC cage, scoring notable victories over the likes of Nate Diaz, BJ Penn, Jake Ellenberger, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine. – Rappler.com