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Stephen Thompson believes Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal is a 50/50 fight that hinges on who wins the wrestling exchanges.
‘Wonderboy’ got back into the mix at welterweight by beating Vicente Luque over three rounds at UFC 244. Prior to that, he had suffered back-to-back defeats against Anthony Pettis and Darren Till.
Welterweight champion Usman is rumoured to be facing Jorge Masvidal next, someone Thompson is familiar with after beating the Cuban-American in 2017. Speaking to MMA Junkie about a potential Usman vs. Masvidal fight, ‘Wonderboy’ praised the takedown defence of ‘Gamebred’ and said if he keeps the fight standing he will win.
“I know Masvidal – he’s got great takedown defense. Usman is a very strong fighter, very strong wrestler. I believe he’s not going to fight Masvidal like he did Colby Covington. I think he’s going to shoot on Masvidal. He’s going to try and take him down where he’s more comfortable. Obviously Masvidal is a phenomenal striker. I faced him and I could see that. So Usman is definitely going to try and shoot.
“If Masvidal can keep the fight standing, can fight off his takedown and keep it standing, I think he wins it all day. Usman, it’s very difficult because that guy is relentless. He’s also got a gas tank, too, and if they do fight, it’s got to be a main event. They’ve got to fight five five-minute rounds. So I think the cardio, the longer the rounds go, it favors Usman. And if it comes to the striking game, it definitely goes to Masvidal for sure.”
Now he is back in the mix Thompson has got his eyes firmly focused on 170lb champ Usman. Despite recognising the titleholder’s impressive credentials ‘Wonderboy’ believes he’s got what it takes to become champion at a third time of asking.
“Usman is a very intelligent guy. He does his studying,” Thompson said. “He watches his opponents and I can tell that, and I can see that, so I don’t think he would keep the fight standing. He would shoot on me as he does against everybody else in the game, besides Colby Covington because both have a very similar style. I knew that they would want to keep the fight standing and Usman’s striking was amazing in that fight, especially his body shots. So he’s definitely worked on his striking game.
“He’s still getting better every day. But my takedown defense – most of the guys in the division that I’ve faced have been wrestlers and guys that are aggressive, so they kind of play into my style of fighting. So I think he’s going to make some changes and I’m going to be ready for that. My goal is to adapt to everybody that I face out there and in my head, I see him being a relentless wrestler – just getting me up against the cage, trying to tire me out like he does with everybody.”
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This article first appeared at LowKickMMA.com
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