Stephen Thompson prefers Masvidal or Diaz fights over Maia matchup

Fresh off a “Fight of the Night” win over Vicente Luque at UFC 244, welterweight contender Stephen Thompson wants to fight Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz next, not Demian Maia.

Thompson picked up a unanimous decision win over Luque in an exciting back-and-forth striking battle between two of the welterweight division’s most exciting fighters. The win snapped Thompson’s two-fight losing skid, while Luque’s six-fight win streak was broken with the loss. It was a win that keeps Thompson entrenched in the division’s top-10.

Speaking after the event with reporters, Thompson was asked who he wants next. “Wonderboy” was asked about a potential fight against Maia who, like him, stands out as one of the nicest guys in the sport. He says he’d rather fight Masvidal or Diaz instead.

“(Maia’s) a tough and scary guy, man, I don’t care what you say. The guy’s 41 but he would kill you in a heartbeat on the ground, grab you by the wrists and just drag you down there and choke you out. Very scary guy. I would have to take some time to really prepare for him, but hey, I would love to scrap anyone in that division man, especially the top-15, I would love to step out there with them,” Thompson said.

“But my mind is set forward right now. I would love to fight Masvidal or Nate. But a Maia fight could definitely happen in the future for sure.”

Thompson actually has a previous win over Masvidal from November 2017 but hasn’t fought Diaz yet. With Masvidal likely getting a welterweight title shot next, a fight against Thompson doesn’t seem likely, but perhaps a Diaz matchup could take place sometime. It’s not lost on Thompson that a potential fight against either would pit the UFC’s “nicest” guy in Thompson against two of the “baddest” in Masvidal or Diaz.

“I was kind of disappointed the main event ended the way it did because I really wanted to fight one of those guys, that would have been awesome. Nicest guy vs. the baddest guy, that would have been really cool. But we’ll see,” Thompson said.

Who do you think Stephen Thompson should fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/4/2019.