Stephen Thompson has made it known he wants to fight a striker next.

Thompson was linked to a fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov but told BJPENN.com on Thursday that he was not interested in that fight. ‘Wonderboy’ says he wants to fight a striker, so with that, he hopes he can face Michel Pereira his next time out.

“I’m looking at Michel Pereira, I think that would be an awesome fight. He’s an up-and-coming guy who’s definitely down to bang and strike,” Thompson said to BJPENN.com. “I think he also called me out on social media, so I think that would be a good fight for sure. Michel Pereira would be a fun one, that one interests me for sure. He’s exciting, I’m exciting. My last few guys that I had strike we on Fight of the Night and won bonuses so I think that would be a fun fight for sure.”

The hope for Thompson is for the fight to take place at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden as ‘Wonderboy’ wants to fight in front of fans again.

“My last fight was at the Apex and I want to fight on a big card and I’ve always done well at Madison Square Garden,” Thompson said. “Always put on a show there, so it’s coming up and I would love to get that fight in, in November.”

If the fight does get made for UFC 281, Stephen Thompson says training for him would be difficult. Although he knows Pereira isn’t as wild as he used to be, he still has a unique style that Thompson would need to get used to.

However, Thompson believes he is the better striker and he can use his angles and footwork to land big shots and eventually put away Pereira.

“He has gotten a lot better and has fought some really tough guys. He’s always fun to watch which interests me,” Thompson concluded. “He is a very exciting fighter and both of us out there together would be fire… He is a big welterweight, and I know he will be a big powerful guy so I would have to work my angles and work in and out but I think I could put him away.”

Would you like to see Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira next?