Stephen Thompson on Narrow Decision Loss at UFC Fight Night Liverpool: ‘I Thought I Edged It Out’
Oftentimes when a person repeatedly uses the phrase, “It is what it is,” they’re holding something back.
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“I thought I edged it out, but he’s definitely a big boy,” Thompson said on Fox Sports 1. “You could feel his weight out there a little bit. But you know what, it is what it is.”
Thompson makes reference to Till’s weight, as the English fighter
came in 3.5 pounds over the welterweight limit on Saturday. Till
was required to weigh less than 188 pounds on Sunday in order to be
allowed to compete, and he checked in at 187.3 pounds to make the
fight official.
While Thompson admitted the size was a factor, he avoided outright saying that Till’s missing weight was a significant benefit.
“You know what? It is what it is,” Thompson said. “I’m going to go back and definitely learn from this. But hat’s off to Darren.
“Usually guys whenever I blitz forward they back up. I could use my weight a little bit, but it’s like running into a brick wall. Every time I would run in he was right there in front of me. But no excuses, we’ll go back to the drawing board and be better next time.”
Virtually all the rounds were extremely close, although Till did punctuate his win with a knockdown in the final stanza. “The Gorilla” focused on low kicks as a major part of his offense, attacking Thompson’s surgically repaired leg on multiple occasions. Before he plots his next move, Thompson will need to have a clean bill of health.
“It kept me from moving around like I wanted to, but no excuses,” Thompson said. “I want to get my left leg checked out, and then see where we go from there.”
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