MMA Weekly
Stephen Thompson shoots down idea Leon Edwards deserves a UFC title shot
No. 5 ranked UFC welterweight Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson recently gave his thoughts on the no decision in the UFC Vegas 21 main event between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. The no contest ruling resulted from a brutal eye poke from Edwards to Muhammad in the second round of the fight that rendered him unable to continue. Before the eye poke that ended the fight, Thompson acknowledged Edwards looked good during the bout despite having not fought in nearly two years. “He looked really crisp, he looked really sharp. He looked fast,” Thompson said on his new podcast “What’s Up Everybody?!” “I think that’s the best shape I’ve seen Edwards in.” When something like this occurs in MMA, whether it be a controversial decision or an accidental foul that leads to a no contest, a rematch takes place almost every time. That is why many fans, pundits, and fighters scratched their heads after seeing Edwards call for a title shot after a no contest against the no. 13 ranked fighter in the welterweight division. Thompson was one of those people. “With the eye poke, there’s only one thing to do and that’s to run it back,” Thompson said. “I know Edwards is saying he deserves the title next. But you can’t get the title after being gone for two years and then having a no contest with a poke to the eye. Come on.” Stephen Thompson says he deserves title shot more than Leon Edwards Thompson also pointed to the UFC working out automatic rematches for other fights that had similar endings, as previously mentioned. “I mean, that’s what they’re doing with Aljo and Yan,” Thompson said. “I know Edwards is like ‘Nah man, I wanna fight for the title,’ but come on dude. You haven’t fought. I deserve the title [shot] more than you do at this point.” Despite how Edwards or Thompson might feel about who is next in line, neither of them will be fighting for the title anytime soon. UFC president Dana White announced on Monday that UFC 261 would have a full-capacity crowd, headlined by champion Kamaru Usman facing Jorge Masvidal in a rematch for the welterweight strap. We know who’s next for the belt, but perhaps a matchup between Thompson and Edwards could be next for the pair of talented top five welterweights. Dana White announces UFC 261 to house full house of fans, three title fights Leon Edwards addresses horrific eye poke on Belal Muhammad | UFC Vegas 21 (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
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