UFC's Stephen Thompson calls out Carlos Prates: 'It will be a striking extravaganza'
Stephen Thompson wants to test his striking against Carlos Prates.
Prates (21-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered his first octagon loss when was defeated by Ian Machado Garry in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 66 headliner at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. Prates hurt Machado Garry late but was outstruck overall and taken down four times in the fight.
Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) called out Prates in typical respectful fashion and sees a fight between them delivering on the feet.
"It will be a striking extravaganza, if you will," Thompson told MMA on SiriusXM. "Ian Garry, he's good at the grappling, he's good at the wrestling. We are good at it to try to keep the fight standing. Me and Prates, we want the fight to stay standing. We want to see who the best striker is in the UFC.
"I think that would be an amazing fight, as well. I'm all for it, to be honest with you. Carlos Prates, will you please sign the contract. Just sign the contract. Get out there, let's have some fun, let's put on a show, let's punch each other in the face, and go have a beer afterwards, maybe a few cigarettes on your part."
"Wonderboy" is no stranger to outclassing rising contenders on the feet. He successfully stood toe-to-toe with the likes of Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal and Kevin Holland. However, in his most recent outing, Thompson was knocked out by Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307 last October.
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