This past Saturday at UFC Vegas 17, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (16-4-1) took on Geoff Neal (13-3). It was the first fight of 2020 for both of these top welterweight contenders.
For the second straight fight, Wonderboy was tasked with taking on a rising UFC welterweight contender. At UFC 244, Thompson took on Vicente Luque (19-7-1). Entering that fight, Luque was riding a six-fight winning streak.
However, Wonderboy stopped all of that momentum last November. With clean counters and advanced speed, Wonderboy was able to turn away Luque. Geoff Neal entered UFC Vegas 17 on a seven-fight winning streak.
Neal had looked like a destroyer and nobody in the UFC‘s welterweight division wanted to fight him. However, Wonderboy Thompson was down for the challenge. The two men fought for 25 minutes on Saturday night.
In the end, Wonderboy completely outclassed the dangerous Geoff Neal. Wonderboy put on a clinic from start to finish. He was able to keep the fight at range the entire time and he picked apart Neal from the outside.
Every time that Neal would try to dart in, Wonderboy wasn’t there. Whenever Wonderboy did stay put, he sat down on his combinations and touched Neal up. An incredible performance from the former title challenger at UFC Vegas 17.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 17?
First and foremost, we need to find out the health status of Stephen Thompson. In his post-fight press conference, Wonderboy said that he might have torn something in his knee at UFC Vegas 17.
Thompson did struggle with his knee in the final round of the fight. However, if that knee checks out and he’s ready to rock, what should be next? Wonderboy made his callout after the fight asking for the rematch with Jorge Masvidal.Â
The UFC’s BMF and Wonderboy fought back in 2017 with Thompson picking up the win. Currently, the UFC is targeting a matchup between Masvidal and Colby Covington. However, if that fight doesn’t come together, a Wonderboy fight makes a lot of sense.
Outside of that, another fight that could make sense is the winner of the Leon Edwards – Khamzat Chimaev fight. Although, the winner of that fight will likely get a UFC title shot if Covington – Masvidal hasn’t happened anytime soon.
Unfortunately for Wonderboy, all five of the fighters ahead of him in the division are tentatively booked. I would expect Wonderboy to wait for one of those winners. With a win, he could be in line for another shot at the UFC welterweight strap.