Stephen Thompson has verbally agreed to make his UFC return on the final fight card of the year.
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is looking to bounce back from his UFC 264 loss to Gilbert Burns with a triumphant return to close out 2021. Thompson revealed to MMA News that he has committed to making his Octagon return on the December 18 Fight Night event and opened up on his mindset when accepting the fight.
“I’m not really sure if he’s taken the fight yet, but I was offered a fight. And I said, ‘Let’s make it happen,'” Thompson said. “I’m ranked #5, and I’m still wanting to work my way up to the title, and I’m still feeling good. Obviously, with that last loss against Gilbert Burns, I may have to have a fight before I could get somebody ranked above me again.”
Thompson did confirm to MMA News that his next opponent will not be rising phenom Khamzat Chimaev. The two have been linked together in the past, with Thompson expressing disinterest in the bout last year. His reasoning was that Chimaev was unranked and did nothing to increase his chances of landing a title shot.
The Two Most Likely Opponents For Stephen Thompson’s Next Fight
Through the process of elimination, the only two fighters in the top 10 ranked below Thompson who are currently without a fight booked are Neil Magny (#8) and Belal Muhammad (#9).
As recently as this past weekend, Magny was lobbying to fight Chimaev in December. Therefore, the timeline appears to fit nicely for Thompson and Magny to clash. That said, Muhammad has developed a reputation for always being ready to scrap at any given moment, so one should not rule him out as Wonderboy’s next potential adversary.
Thompson also disclosed that this fight will serve as the final bout on his current UFC contract. Win or lose, though, he has every intention of continuing on with the promotion for as long as his MMA career continues.
You can check out our full interview with Stephen Thompson below.
Keep it locked right here on MMANews.com for additional updates on this developing story.
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Stephen Thompson Agrees To UFC Return At 12/18 Fight Night (Exclusive)