Stephen Thompson expecting a ‘war’ against Belal Muhammad but confident he will win: ‘I do see some flaws in his style’

Stephen Thompson is excited to go out and erase his last fight from his memory.

Thompson is coming off a lackluster decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 and will now return against Belal Muhammad this Saturday at UFC Vegas 45. It’s an intriguing matchup and one Thompson is looking forward to.

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“He is really game, I didn’t picture myself facing someone like him as I wanted to fight someone ranked above me, but all those fights up there were taken,” Thompson said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I knew they were going to give me someone behind me after that last loss. I’m excited.”

In his last fight, Burns was able to control Thompson on the ground. With that, “Wonderboy” is expecting Muhammad to implement a similar game plan and try and take Thompson down.

“I wouldn’t see why not. I know he has trained with Burns before and he saw I lost that fight, so I do feel like he will shoot,” Thompson explained. “Like everybody else, they may stand and strike but eventually, they start shooing for the legs. I’m prepared for wherever the fight goes.”

Although he is expecting Belal Muhammad to try and take him down, Stephen Thompson is confident he will keep it standing.

If Thompson can keep it standing, he believes he will be able to piece up Muhammad on the feet. Wonderboy says he sees holes in Muhammad’s game and is confident he can expose them, however, he is expecting the fight to be a war.

“If I finish him or if it’s a 15-minute fight, I’m ready for a war. That is what I like to prepare myself for, I like to prepare for the grittiest fight of all time, the most uncomfortable fight known to mankind, that is what gives me confidence,” Thompson said. “If it does go the distance, I’m in shape, I’m ready to go… I do see some flaws in his style, everyone has flaws in their style but my goal is to keep the fight standing and try and finish the guy. I want to put on the best show for the UFC and the fans.”

If Thompson gets his hand raised, he isn’t sure what is next for him but he knows he is still close to fighting Kamaru Usman for the belt. He is well-ware that Usman has cleaned out the division so, with that, he believes he’s only a win or two away from fighting for the belt.

“There is still a chance, he has cleaned it out. I can still go out there and faceoff with him as he’s beat like everyone at the top… I’m still in it, man, I can still fight for the title,” Thompson said.

Who do you think will win, Stephen Thompson or Belal Muhammad?