The UFC has finalized an important matchup in their welterweight division for the final event of 2021. MMA Junkie was the first to report this afternoon that the promotion had finalized a matchup between Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (16-5-1) and Belal Muhammad (19-3, 1 NC).
The matchup will take place at a UFC Fight Night on December 18th. For Belal Muhammad, he will be making his fourth appearance in 2021. He started the year off by defeated Dhiego Lima in a lopsided fight back at UFC 258.
That win was Muhammad’s fourth straight. He then got a short-notice opportunity against the top ranked Leon Edwards. That fight ended in a No Contest after Muhammad was poked in the eye by Edwards.
After that, we saw Muhammad return at UFC 263 where he defeated legend Demian Maia by decision. Muhammad is ranked ninth in the division and if he’s able to defeat Wonderboy, he will get closer to the top five and closer to UFC title contention.
UFC Fight Night for Wonderboy
Wonderboy Thompson will be making his third appearance inside the octagon when he takes on Belal Muhammad in January. The last time we saw Wonderboy was back at UFC 264 when he took on Gilbert Burns.
Thompson lost that fight, but if he would’ve won, he would’ve likely earned himself a UFC title shot. Now, Wonderboy is looking to reset and get back on track. Prior to the loss to Gilbert Burns, Thompson had won two straight over Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal.
A win over Muhammad would keep Wonderboy established near the top of the UFC’s welterweight division. Wonderboy is one of the few top contenders that champion Kamaru Usman hasn’t fought. With that in mind, Thompson is only a couple of wins away from potentially becoming an attractive option to face Usman.