Stephen Thompson just had a massive unanimous decision win over Geoff Neal in the final UFC card of the year. However, Thompson is already looking ahead and may have a scintillating rematch on his mind.
After beating Neal, Wonderboy openly called out Jorge Masvidal, a man he has previously beaten.
"I wanna see the NMF vs. the BMF, baby! Let's make that happen."@WonderboyMMA respectfully called for a rematch with @GamebredFighter after #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/1lDM275OUJ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 20, 2020
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After the fight, Thompson got a chance to elaborate on his callout and told ESPN MMA why he chose Masvidal for it.
“Well number one, I know he was interested if he won the belt against Usman the first time, he’d defend the belt against me. I know he wants that win back. It’s crazy because he inspires me to keep moving forward, to keep pushing, because it wasn’t long ago that I beat him at UFC 217.”
"It wasn't that long ago I beat him at UFC 217 and now he's one of the most popular guys in the UFC, ranked higher than me."@WonderboyMMA considers @GamebredFighter an inspiration due to his incredible success since their first fight. pic.twitter.com/sTDSjGcqmM
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 20, 2020
“Now he’s one of the most popular guys in the UFC, ranked higher than me. I thought we put on a good show the first time, why not do it again?”
Stephen Thompson: Can he make it 2-0 against Masvidal?
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Everyone is just waiting for the Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington super-fight right now. They have a rivalry; both lost to Kamaru Usman, and this fight is a guaranteed million buys for the UFC. While Thompson may not be the attractive fight, it would be the one that makes sense under normal MMA rankings.
Thompson is currently on a two-fight win-streak with triumphs over Vicente Luque and now Geoff Neal. He was the last man to beat Masvidal before ‘Gamebred’ went on this run.
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A second loss to Wonderboy would be a hard road for the BMF to overcome. It is a high-risk and low-reward fight for him, so he may not be that willing to take it. However, an opportunity to get his win back could be tantalizing.
Even though the ‘NMF’ Thompson has asked for this fight, it seems the ‘BMF’ Masvidal has other fish to fry. However, if Thompson continues on this resurgent trajectory, he may be knocking at Masvidal’s door sooner than later.