If Donald Cerrone wants a dance companion, Stephen Thompson is more than pleased to oblige.
“Cowboy” lately returned to the UFC’s drug-testing pool in anticipation of a comeback, with the 41-year-old having retired in 2022. No bout has formally been introduced for Cerrone, however Thompson, 42, has beforehand talked about his curiosity within the bout.
On the Overdogs Podcast, “Wonderboy” continued to marketing campaign for the Cerrone matchup.
“My final battle I ended up injuring my elbow,” Thompson stated. “I’m probably not positive if it was from the elbows that I hit him with, however I acquired bursitis actually dangerous in my proper elbow, so quite a lot of swelling. , that fluid sack in there swelled up actual large and it was tremendous delicate, I don’t know if it was a bone bruise or what. I ended up taking a while off, ensuring that’s proper, and naturally, getting knocked out doesn’t assist, so I’ve acquired to be sure that the whole lot up right here is prime earlier than I step again on the market. … So possibly I’m considering April-Might time, I believe could be cool simply because I’m an enormous fan of Cerrone and he comes from that old fashioned period that I sort of got here from virtually 13-14 years in the past, so it’s cool that he desires to leap again on the market.
“I assumed it could be superior if he doesn’t need to reduce the load to 155, possibly to make that battle at 170, I assumed it could be actually cool to have two veterans like that step again on the market and face off in opposition to one another. However nothing booked but, however that’s what I’m sort of capturing for, that April-Might time.”
A battle with Cerrone might be precisely what Thompson must get again on the successful observe as he’s presently mired in a 1-4 hunch, with consecutive losses to up-and-coming welterweight contenders Joaquin Buckley and Shavkat Rakhmonov. The kickboxing and karate specialist twice challenged for UFC gold, however has seen inconsistent outcomes since.
Ought to he and Cerrone be booked for the octagon, Thompson is ready for Cerrone—proprietor of 17 submission victories—to combine the martial arts.
“He beat some actually good guys on the bottom,” Thompson stated. “His grappling is on level.”
As for why he’s but to hold up the gloves himself, Thompson credit score his staff with serving to him to handle his well being and preparation. Although his in-cage appearances have turn into much less frequent (Thompson has fought simply yearly the previous three years), he nonetheless feels near his prime when he makes the stroll to the octagon.
“It’s good to have any person like a supervisor or a very good coach or that father determine or that individual in that small circle that you must must say, ‘Dude, you must chill. It’s good to relax as we speak,’” Thompson stated. “You might go over approach, there’s all the time one thing you are able to do, however you’ll be able to’t push it arduous on a regular basis, it’s a must to give your physique time to heal up and I believe that’s why I’m nonetheless 42 on this sport.
“I didn’t win my final battle and even the one after that, however we’re nonetheless on the grind, we’re not giving up. I believe I acquired it. I really feel simply as quick as I did 10 years in the past, really feel simply nearly as good, similar to using a motorbike, however I do spend extra time on ensuring that the physique is feeling proper. With therapeutic massage remedy, the restoration, the ice tub, possibly taking the time without work the place I’m not grinding that tough. Possibly I’m working simply approach and simply flowing, giving the physique ample time to heal up, and I believe that’s essential.”
