UFC 205's Stephen Thompson doesn’t picture knocking out champ Tyron Woodley – so hopefully, he does

UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson goes into each bout with a “blank slate,” not envisioning a particular outcome.

That way, he told MMAjunkie Radio, it’s a pleasant surprise when something like a knockout arrives.

“I never go out looking for the knockout because sometimes when it doesn’t happen, it can mess with you,” Thompson (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) said in advance of his title shot against 170-pound champion Tyron Woodley (16-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 205, which takes place Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event’s main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Thompson likes to keep an open mind about what takes place in the octagon. He couldn’t have anticipated going five rounds with onetime title challenger Rory MacDonald in a previous bout, though he’s happy he did.

“To prove to myself and everybody else that I do have the gas tank to do that,” Thompson noted.

The win secured “Wonderboy” a title shot despite initial resistance from Woodley on the matchup.

To many observers, it may have looked like Thompson, the No. 2 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, was a fast-twitch kind of fighter, someone who was good in the first round and then faded later in the fight. That would favor No. 1 Woodley, a seasoned wrestler with knockout power.

But Thompson said there’s a lot more to him than what you see on tape. Check out the above interview to get his thoughts on the upcoming title fight.

And for more on UFC 205, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.

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