Stephen Thompson is a mist of razors, difficult to hit, and endlessly inflicting damage, and he showed in his unanimous decision win over Geoff Neal. The win over the 11th ranked welterweight was a step down for the at was a step down for "Wonderboy" (#5), who now wants a fight up. Thompson unanimously decisioned Jorge Masvidal at UFC 217 on November 4, 2017 at Madison Square Garden; now the unofficial Nicest Motherf***er wants a rematch with the Baddest Motherf***er belt holder, currently ranked #4 in the division.
“I was poking at a guy ranked higher than me not too long ago on Twitter, in the nicest way possible,” said Thompson to commentary Daniel Cormier immediately post-fight. “He wasn’t having it, but yes, this is two in a row, ranked No. 11 and I’m definitely working my way up. Give me somebody — I want to see the NMF vs. the BMF, baby. Let’s make that happen!
“Stephen 'Wonderboy’ Thompson versus Jorge Masvidal 2. I know that he’s talking about fighting Colby Covington, but we’ll see.”
https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1340500993302249473?
Thompson offered further details in a backstage interview with Laura Sanko.
“Well, No. 1 I knew he was interested if he had won the fight against [Kamaru] Usman the first time,” said Thompson. “He said he would want to defend it against me. I know he wants that win back and it’s crazy because he inspires me to keep moving forward, to keep pushing. It wasn’t that long ago that I beat him at UFC 217 and now he’s one of the most popular guys in the UFC. He’s ranked higher than me and I thought we put on a good show the first time, so why not do it again?”
https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1340505428296421376
Masvidal responded enigmatically.
https://twitter.com/GamebredFighter/status/1340513219723595779
And "Gamebred" may already have a full dance card, with UFC president Dana White indicating "Gamebred" vs. former teammate and now vocal antagonist Colby Covington could happen in 2021. Further, a BMF rematch has been referenced by the UFC boss. UG, who do you want to see Wonderboy fight next?
h/t Kristen King for BE