Former UFC welterweight title challenger, Stephen Thompson put out a YouTube vlog to his personal channel to give some insight into his day. ‘Wonderboy’ is a fan favorite across the board and the entire MMA community is keen to know about his life. Chiefly, during the vlog, Thompson revealed some concerning news for his fans going into his next contest.
Stephen Thompson revealed that he has been suffering from some recurring pain in his leg. He sustained an injury in his fight against Geoff Neal that still seems to play a hindrance in his training to this day. This is extremely concerning since Thompson fought Neal all the way back in December 2020.
I hurt my toe during the Geoff Neal fight and it’s been hurting me ever since. Last Thursday, I was wrestling, I ended up hurting my freaking foot and it’s killing me right now doing those heel runs but I survived.”
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How does ‘Wonderboy’ fit into the title landscape at welterweight?
Thompson is currently ranked number 5 at welterweight and sits behind fighters who have leap-frogged him for a shot at gold. The 38-year-old lost his opportunity to secure a title shot when he dropped a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns. He’s 2-3 in his last five fights and can still make a run given his current position.
‘Wonderboy’ is slated to face number 9 ranked Belal Muhammad, who wants to enter the upper echelon of the rankings. A win over Muhammad who has been on quite a win streak would be massive to help Thompson stay in the mix. However, a loss could possibly indicate that his best days are behind him at this point.
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Kamaru Usman has faced nearly everyone in the top 5 of the welterweight division and has been running laps around the division. However, Thompson would be a new name and would definitely offer a new stylistic element to their potential fight. Stephen Thompson would need to focus on getting a few wins under his belt so that he can take one last stab at the welterweight title.
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