‘Wonderboy’ Expecting Third Title Shot

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson is just 3-3 dating back to his last title fight, a majority decision loss to Tyron Woodley at UFC 209. But “Wonderboy” has managed to hang on to the No. 5 spot in the 170-pound rankings after scoring victories over the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Vicente Luque.

That’s why a strong performance against Belal Muhammad in the UFC Vegas 45 co-main event, which takes place this Sat. night (Dec. 18, 2021) could send the former kickboxer into battle with reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, or at least get him “right there” — which in MMA-speak means another win from the belt.

“A good win over Belal Muhammad, I could be right there for another title shot,” Thompson told MMA Junkie at UFC Vegas 45 media day. “You can’t keep feeding the same guys to Kamaru Usman. A good win over Belal, maybe another fight, we’ll be looking at another title shot. I’m not giving up on it.”

Thompson (15-5-1) is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 back in July. “Wonderboy” is 2-2 dating back to 2019, sandwiching wins over Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque between losses to Burns and Anthony Pettis.

Muhammad (19-3, 1 NC) is undefeated in his last six fights dating back to April 2019. During that stretch, “Remember the Name” defeated the likes of Demian Maia, Dhiego Lima and Lyman Good to land five spots below Thompson in the official rankings.

To see who else is fighting at UFC Vegas 45 click here.