Stephen Thompson won't take bait from Colby Covington: 'I'm going to eat him up with niceness'

Stephen Thompson isn’t going to play Colby Covington’s game and get into a war of words.

Thompson (16-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC), who is currently focused on Saturday’s UFC 264 co-headliner with Gilbert Burns, has recently been the target of Covington’s (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) verbal ire, specifically for having the nickname “Wonderboy” at 38 years old.

Covington had plenty more to say about his fellow welterweight contender, and on Wednesday, Thompson was offered the opportunity to respond. As one would expect from the “Nicest Mother F*cker” in the game, though, Thompson didn’t take the bait.

“It’s a nickname,” Thompson told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC 264 media day. “Come on, bro. I’ve had this thing since I was 15, and calling me ‘Wonderman’ is just weird. It just doesn’t fit right. He said I identify myself as a boy. I just put a smile on my face. I actually laughed about it. I was like, ‘You got something there.’ But it doesn’t bother me one bit. He can say all the trash talk he wants. I’m going to eat him up with niceness. That’s what I want to do. Just smile at him. You know it makes him mad.”

It’s possible Thompson and Covington could find themselves sharing the octagon soon, but at the moment both are chasing a shot at Kamaru Usman’s welterweight title.

UFC president Dana White told MMA Junkie on Tuesday that Covington will remain next in line no matter what type of performance Thompson puts on against Burns – or vice versa. Thompson hopes he can change that, however, by taking out one of the division’s top-ranked names.

Certainly, though, Thompson thinks a win should put him above Covington.

“This is the first time in a while that I’ve faced someone that’s ranked higher than me,” Thompson said. “So, this is awesome. Hat’s off to Gilbert Burns because no one else wanted to take it. I think this is awesome. It’s big for me because you never know, the next shot could be the title shot. I know they’re talking about Colby Covington. I don’t know why they’re talking about Colby Covington. Leon Edwards especially deserves the title. He’s on a nine-fight winning streak. But with a good win over Gilbert Burns, it’s got to put me at the top of the list for sure.”

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