Stephen Thompson issues clarification after sparking rumors about Kamaru Usman being out of Leon Edwards trilogy.
Stephen Thompson admittedly started the biggest “drama” of his life by stating that Kamaru Usman is likely out of a trilogy fight against Leon Edwards.
Rumors started floating after Thompson recently speculated that Usman’s hand injury wouldn’t allow the former welterweight champion to fight Edwards in March, which is the UFC’s targeted timeline.
‘Wonderboy’ has now issued a clarification claiming that the whole thing was purely a conjecture on his part without being privy to any of the UFC’s plans. The welterweight veteran wrote on Twitter:
“My friends, my bad! I meant to say I wouldn’t be surprised if they made the Leon vs Masvidal fight ? I have no idea what the UFC is planning to do. As of now it’s still Leon vs Usman. #MyBad ?♂️ #Oops”
The initial report of ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ being out of the Edwards trilogy fight was pinned down as “fake news” by Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Abdelaziz’s tweet was also shared by Thompson, who admitted to having started the “most drama” of his life.
What did Stephen Thompson say that led to all the “drama”?
Stephen Thompson bounced back from a two-fight skid with an emphatic fourth-round TKO victory over Kevin Holland on December 3. During a recent interview with Fred Talks Fighting, ‘Wonderboy’ claimed that his goal remains to fight for UFC gold.
However, Thompson is aware of the welterweight division being filled with elite wrestlers, who have proven to be his weakness in the octagon. Regardless, the 39-year-old remains hopeful of a title shot as the new welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, is primarily a striker like himself.
‘Wonderboy’ claimed that Kamaru Usman is likely to be out of a trilogy bout against Edwards in March due to a hand injury. Thompson also added that the UFC is looking at Jorge Masvidal as an alternative to Usman. The welterweight veteran said:
“People are in-talks of me fighting Leon Edwards. I know Kamaru Usman is having hand surgery, I know they want to fight somebody in March and they were looking at Jorge Masvidal. He’s a standup fighter, so it kind of inspires me a bit, our division is so wrestler-heavy, and Leon Edwards is a striker and he’s champ. So, anyone of those guys would be awesome.”
Watch Stephen Thompson’s comments below (8:20):