Mike Stumpf
Injury forces Mike Stumpf off card
Mike Stumpf has suffered an injury, forcing him out of his UFC 143 fight against Justin Edwards.
Stepping up in his place is an unbeaten welterweight from South Carolina known as the “Wonderboy.” The UFC confirmed Stephen Thompson (5-0) has gotten the call to make his UFC debut against Edwards (7-2, 1-2 UFC) on the Super Bowl weekend card next month. The fight will be part of the pay-per-view event’s preliminary card.
Thompson’s pro career started in 2010, and he earned three stoppages right out of the gate with a pair of knockouts and a submission victory. He fought twice last year, with both fights going the distance on regional shows.
Edwards is looking to rebound after a loss to John Maguire at UFC 138 in November. Edwards took the fight on short notice and lost a lopsided 30-27 unanimous decision sweep. After starting his career 6-0, including a 30-second win over TUF 1 veteran Josh Rafferty in his pro debut and a win for Bellator in his second fight, Edwards got a spot on Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He lost his only fight in the house, but got a spot on the TUF 13 Finale against Clay Harvison, which he lost by split decision. Edwards picked up his lone UFC win in September against the Wanderlei Silva-trained Jorge Lopez.
UFC 143 takes place Feb. 4 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The card features a main event interim welterweight title fight between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz with champ Georges St-Pierre on the shelf for much of 2012 following surgery on his ACL. Also on the card, Josh Koscheck fights Mike Pierce and Fabricio Werdum, a Pride and Strikeforce veteran, rejoins the UFC to face TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson.