"I love that guy" - Stephen Thompson gives his thoughts on next opponent Belal Muhammad
Stephen Thompson has revealed his thoughts on his upcoming fight with Belal Muhammad, scheduled for the December 18 UFC Fight Night.
'Wonderboy' spoke about his second matchup of 2021 during an appearance on Submission Radio. When asked about his reaction when the offer came to his desk, Stephen Thompson expressed his relief at having another bout booked.
"So the UFC came to us... was like, 'Hey how does Muhammad sound?' This was about several weeks back and I was in shape, you know. I'm like dude, you know, thank you Belal, thank you. You know that's what was going on in my head. Lets make this happen... I love Belal Muhammad."
After numerous injury issues in recent years, Thompson expressed his excitement at being able to fit another fight into 2021.
Catch Stephen Thompson's appearance on Submission Radio below:
Stephen Thompson's last fight was against Gilbert Burns at UFC 264. Burns won the co-main event contest via unanimous decision.
Stephen Thompson will look to rebound at the final event of the year
Stephen Thompson, a former two-time welterweight title challenger, will face Belal Muhammad in a three-round co-main event at UFC Vegas 45. The event will take place on December 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
#BREAKING: Big-time welterweight fight is on deck for the UFC's final event of 2021. 👀
News via @MMAjunkieJohn and @MikeBohnMMA: bit.ly/3DaJWTk https://t.co/TJSjUgGbQA
After losing to 'Durinho' in July, Stephen Thompson will try to get back on track against 'Remember The Name'.
'Wonderboy' currently holds the No.5 spot in the 170-pound rankings. Prior to his July loss, Thompson was on a two-fight winning streak after defeating Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal.
Belal Muhammad, on the other hand, is unbeaten in his last six appearances. Amongst his five victories in that run was a submission triumph over Takashi Sato at UFC 242.
Muhammad's clash with Thompson will be his fourth appearance of 2021. Holding No.9 in the welterweight rankings, Muhammad featured in his first UFC main event in March this year against Leon Edwards. The fight was ruled a no contest after 'Remember The Name' was accidentally poked in the eye.