Ex-Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson believes Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was bullied into taking a fight with undefeated standout Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Last month, Dana White revealed that Thompson would return for a clash with ‘Nomad’ as part of the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 296. The announcement came two months after ‘Wonderboy’ was scheduled to step inside the Octagon at UFC 291 in July. However, his opponent, Michel Pereira, stepped on the scale three pounds over the weight limit, prompting Thomspon to turn down the fight.
Fight fans online immediately shared their displeasure with the booking, suggesting that the promotion is essentially sacrificing the aging ‘Wonderboy’ in order to give Rakhmonov another big win as UFC hopes to curate the next big welterweight superstar.