‘Disappointing’ — UFC dumps two-time title challenger on Salt Lake City ‘Prelims’ … but was it pay plaint payback?

Stephen Thompson will make his Octagon return as part of the upcoming UFC 307 fight card on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The last time matchmakers booked “Wonderboy” for the “Beehive State,” his opponent missed weight and Thompson pulled out.

Perfectly within his right … but his subsequent pay plaint may have ruffled a few feathers with UFC executives, leading to accusations of revenge booking followed by an unceremonious spot in the UFC 307 preliminary lineup.

“I’m so used to being on the main card, but hey, wherever the UFC puts us, we’re going to go out there and put on a show no matter what,” Thompson told Bodog Canada (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “We’re going to show everybody that we deserved to be there. We should have been on the main card. But yeah, a little weird at this point knowing what kind of a fight this is going to be. You would figure that they’d want to have all eyes on it.”

Thompson is booked to bang with No. 11-ranked Joaquin Buckley.

“Now, I’m not sure if it was because, you know, the last time I was supposed to fight in Salt Lake City my opponent didn’t make weight,” Thompson continued. “But Joaquin Buckley is notorious for making weight, so I know he’s going to be a professional and we’re going to go out there and have fun but yeah, it was a little disappointing like, what’s going on now? It’s wild. I don’t know why they put that on the card. I mean, there’s some fights on the main card that I think should be on the prelims but, you know, it is what it is.”

Another reason matchmakers may have slotted Thompson on the UFC 307 “Prelims” is the fact that “Wonderboy” is now 41 years old and dropped three of his last four, a far cry from his dominant days as 170-pound title challenger back in late 2016.

For the rest of the UFC 307 fight card and PPV lineup click here.