Getty Is Leon Edwards next for Jorge Masvidal?
Popular UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal was challenged to a rematch on Saturday night by a fighter known as one of the best pure strikers in the sport. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson defeated Geoff Neal on Saturday night in the main event of the final UFC Fight Night card of 2020. After his big win at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, Thompson officially called for a rematch against Masvidal.
“Give me somebody…I wanna see the ‘NMF’ vs. the ‘BMF’, baby! Let’s make that happen,” Thompson said during his post-fight interview on ESPN.
You can watch Thompson call out Masvidal below.
NMF vs. BMF?! 👀
@WonderboyMMA looking to run it back in 2021! #UFCVegas17
Masvidal seemed to like the idea. The UFC star tweeted about his big plans next year just a little while after Thompson’s call out.
Thompson later explained why he was calling for a rematch against a fighter he has already beaten.
“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,” Thompson said.
“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.
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More Call Outs Coming?
During that same call out, Thompson referenced earlier in the year when he used his social media account to call out welterweight contender Leon Edwards.
Thompson is not known for calling out fighters, so it was sort of a big deal in the UFC world.
“You know, I was poking at a guy ranked higher than me on Twitter, in the nicest way possible, he wasn’t having it. But, yes, this is two [wins] in a row, ranked No. 11, I’m definitely working my way up,” Thompson said.
You can see that post below.
All due respect @Leon_edwardsmma , which I have a lot of for you, I have been saying I would like to fight you for a while now! It makes sense and would be a great match up.
I think that was my first Twitter call out ever. man that felt weird. 🤣😂 #FirstTimeForEverything
But now that Edwards is moving on to face rising phenom Khamzat Chimaev next, Thompson used his time on ESPN to say he would love to face Masvidal again in a rematch.
“Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs. [Jorge] Masvidal 2! I know he’s talking about fighting Colby Covington, but we’ll see,” Thompson said.
Thompson defeated Masvidal via decision back in 2017 at UFC 217. But Masvidal resurfaced two years later with a new look and a more aggressive style to reel off three straight finishes on his way to becoming the UFC’s “BMF” champion.
Masvidal beat Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz in 2019 to become many MMA publication’s Fighter of the Year.
In July, the 36-year-old Miami street-fighting legend lost on short-notice to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, but the American MMA stalwart remains one of the most feared 170-pound fighters in the sport.
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Why Thompson vs. Masvidal Makes Sense
A Thompson vs. Masvidal fight might be easier to make than one featuring Masvidal vs. Covington.
The latter features former best friends now embittered in a bitter blood feud now, so Masvidal might not want to share the cage with his former roommate if he can fight someone else instead.
In that way, Masvidal could also continue the feud by keeping Covington from getting paid for a big fight.
Besides, Masvidal might want to avenge his loss to Thompson anyway to prove he’s a completely different fighter than the one that disappeared from the UFC’s roster a few years ago after two losses.
Both Thompson and Masvidal are popular stars. A rematch makes a lot of sense.
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Jorge Masvidal Challenged: ‘Let’s Make That Happen’