Stephen Thompson is hoping to finally fight Leon Edwards.
Ever since Edwards lost his fight to Tyron Woodley in March of 2020 due to the pandemic, Thompson has been vocal about wanting to fight him. “Wonderboy,” thought it made sense but the Englishman didn’t like it and turned it down. Edwards was then forced to fight Khamzat Chimaev but after the fight was called off for the third time, Thompson believes the time is now for the fight to happen.
“Hoping for a full recovery for @KChimaev !! @Leon_edwardsmma let’s give the fans what they want to see! #3 vs #5! #makessense #Respectfully,” Thompson wrote on Twitter.
Stephen Thompson is coming off a hard-fought decision win over Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 17 on December 19. It marked his first fight in over a year as after he beat Vicente Luque at UFC 244, Wonderboy needed to heal up his hands but was lucky enough to avoid surgery. In his career, Thompson also holds wins over Rory MacDonald, Johny Hendricks, and Robert Whittaker among others.
Leon Edwards, meanwhile, has not fought since he beat Rafael dos Anjos by decision in July of 2019. The victory did extend his winning streak to eight but has lost a lot of hype due to the time off. During his run, Edwards holds wins over Donald Cerrone, Vicente Luque, and Gunnar Nelson. His last loss in the UFC also happened to come at the hands of Kamaru Usman when the two met in 2015.
On paper, Stephen Thompson vs. Leon Edwards certainly makes sense. They are both ranked in the top-five of the division and with the welterweight title fight happening this weekend, the winner of this matchup could earn a title shot. Whether or not Edwards would be interested in the bout now is uncertain at this time but Thompson has made it clear he wants the fight
