Fightful Fix is your one-stop-shop for all of today's biggest combat sports stories — featuring all the fallout of UFC Vegas 17 including Stephen Thompson's callout of Jorge Masvidal.
Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson Calls For Jorge Masvidal Matchup
In the wake of his victory over Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 17, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson has his sights set on Jorge Masvidal.
"I wanna see the NMF vs. the BMF, baby! Let's make that happen."@WonderboyMMA respectfully called for a rematch with @GamebredFighter after #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/1lDM275OUJ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 20, 2020
"Wonderboy" expounded as to why he would want to call out Masvidal, who he already holds a win over.
“Well No. 1, I know he was interested if he had won the fight against [Kamaru] Usman the first time, he said he would want to defend [the title] against me,” Thompson said (h/t MMA Fighting). “I know he wants that win back."
“It’s crazy because he inspires me to keep moving forward, to keep pushing because it wasn’t that long ago I beat him at UFC 217 and now he’s one of the most popular guys in the UFC ranked higher than me," he continued. "I thought we put on a good show the first time and why not do it again?”
The topic then turned towards Thompson's seemingly injured knee, and he offered an early and incredibly speculative diagnosis.
“Not sure yet. It could be a muscle tear here, which is balled up,” Thompson said pointing to his knee. “If you saw me, I forgot which round it was, I was picking my knee up because I thought this was my kneecap, the bulge on my leg."
“But I think it’s muscle that’s balled up. Staying positive," he concluded. "Hopefully it’s not that bad.”
"Wonderboy" closed 2020 on a two-fight win streak, after decisive wins over rising contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal.
Stephen Thompson Issues Nice Guy Statement
In maintaining his relentlessly positive outlook, Stephen Thompson took to Twitter, to thank his opponent, his employer and basically everyone he knows.
Man what a fight! @handzofsteelmma you are one tough guy and it was an honor to share the octagon with you. Tough as nails and next level boxing. No doubt you’ll rise to the top. I want to thank God, my family, coaches, and the @ufc for makin it all happen! #UFC #ThompsonVSNeal pic.twitter.com/2uT08D6aoy
— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) December 20, 2020
Geoff Neal Discusses Effects of Headbutt, Fighting Without Head Coach
In the wake of his loss to Stephen Thompson at UFC Vegas 17, Geoff Neal took to Instagram the circumstances surrounding his incredibly tough 2020, and specifically surrounding the fight against Thompson.
Neal's previous health concerns have been well documented and the loss of a coach as well respected as Sayif Saud from his corner is nothing to be dismissed.
Anthony Pettis Plans To Drop To Lightweight, Wants Tony Ferguson
When discussing with the media at the post-fight press conference, Anthony Pettis discussed his future plans including a change in weight class.
Despite coming off consecutive wins at welterweight, first vs. Donald Cerrone back in May then against Alex Morono on Saturday, Pettis still plans to drop to the 155 lb division he once reigned over.
“I’m going back down to '55. I felt amazing at 170, but my goal is at 155. Before I’m all said and done, I want to go back and get that belt,” Pettis said at the UFC Vegas 17 press conference (h/t Yahoo Sports).
"That was the goal the whole time, honestly. This fight popped up kind of last minute. I was on my way back down to lightweight," he said during the event's post-fight press conference. "Before it's too late for me to go back to lightweight, I want to go back down there and do it right this time."
When the subject of prospective opponents came up, Pettis turned his attention to Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson.
"It think Tony makes sense. I think Tony Ferguson coming off his two losses. And he's fighting tough dudes," Pettis said. "I think that would be a good fight for me to jump back in to the lightweight mix. He's still right up there."
Pettis and Ferguson have met before in the comain event of UFC 229 in 2018 with Ferguson triumphing over Pettis via corner stoppage.
Michel Pereira Relentlessly Calls Out Anthony Pettis
After first calling for it after his last fight, and then again repeating it in the cage after his win at UFC Vegas 17, Michel Pereira again calls for a fight against Anthony Pettis.
“Anthony Pettis, I win, you win. Go, go. Go fight. Two weeks. Go, go, Anthony Pettis,” Pereira said (h/t BJ Penn).
From one showman to another, @UfcPereira wants a crack at Anthony Pettis -- #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/4HtnP860fs
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 20, 2020
While the prospect of two creative strikers like Pereira, and Pettis clashing is an exciting one, it seems highly unlikely to happen, given Pettis' stated intention to return to the lightweight division.
Jose Aldo Explains T.J. Dillashaw Callout
At the UFC Vegas 17 post-fight press conference, Jose Aldo explained why T.J. Dillashaw is his desired oppontent.
“I don’t have anything personal with T.J.,” he told reporters through a translator (h/t MMA Fighting). “I just want to make great fights for the fans. I think T.J. is a great former champion, and I think this fight makes sense for everybody.”
Dillashaw is coming off a two-year suspension after popping hot after losing his UFC flyweight championship opportunity against Henry Cejudo in early 2019. He will be eligible to return to the cage in the last week of January 2021.
Marlon Vera Releases Statement After Loss
After his loss to Jose Aldo at UFC Vegas 17, Marlon "Chito" Vera took to social media to thank his supporters.
Gracias a todos por su apoyo. Thanks everyone for the support I’ll take care of the small details in the 3 round ----
— Chito Vera (@chitoveraUFC) December 20, 2020
Rob Font Calls Out T.J. Dillashaw
Coming off the biggest win of his UFC career over Marlon Moraes at UFC Vegas 17, Rob Font also has his sights set on returning champion T.J. Dillashaw.
“I would love to fight that guy – big name, huge name,” Font said (h/t MMA Junkie). “If I don’t get that fight, I would love to headline a card – either like a big name, some type of headliner. I would even fill in for the champ.”
Font, who hadn't fought in over a calendar year, was also asked how the extended injury layoff affected him
“A year off after injury, it was tough. It was tough – a year of sitting around the house going crazy,” Font added. “(I was) limping around with one leg trying to shadow box, holding the sofa and trying to throw kicks, and just practicing my kung-fu, basically. It was tough. But once I got done with the rehab, once I got to the strength and conditioning phase, I’m just happy, man.”
Finally, Font was asked about whether he thought his fight against Moraes should've been stopped earlier, and the job of referee Marc Goddard.
“You know, reffing is a tough job,” Font said. “He was going in and out, in and out, in and out. So yeah, I felt like, ‘C’mon man, hurry up and stop the fight.’ I could hear my corner going, ‘Keep going, keep going.’ I’ve got to rewatch some of it, but I’m not complaining. When I landed the elbow, I knew it was done.”
Greg Hardy Takes To Social Media After Loss To Marcin Tybura
After suffering his second career loss at UFC Vegas 17 to Poland's Tybura, Greg Hardy took to Instagram and pledged to return.
T.J. Dillashaw Responds to Various Callouts
After Jose Aldo and Rob Font both called out former champion T.J. Dillashaw for his comeback fight, it looks like Dillashaw has responded, tho not by using either man's name.
I heard everyone is calling me out, cause they all know that’s my belt -- @ufc
— TJ Dillashaw (@TJDillashaw) December 20, 2020
Michael Bisping Defends Comments At UFC Vegas 17
Michael Bisping took to Twitter to defend his commentary Saturday night when saying Stephen Thompson was a class above the likes of Niko Price, Mike Perry, and Belal Muhammed.
Good try dipshit. They are amazing fighters, but they don’t have the body of work that Stephen does, 57-0 as a kickboxer and 2 world title attempts to his name and main event in ufc god knows how many times.
— michael (@bisping) December 20, 2020
Pointing that out is not throwing shade. https://t.co/ZAPOrT0U5T
UFC Vegas 17 Outfitting Payout Listings
UFC Vegas 17 the Reebok payouts for the fighters on the card are listed below. Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers are paid based on their total number of fights for the UFC, as well as a number of other promotions, per MMA Junkie.
Also listed in the report is the full payout for the year of 2020, which totals over $6 Million.
Stephen Thompson: $15,000
def. Geoff Neal: $5,000Jose Aldo: $20,000
def. Marlon Vera: $15,000Michel Pereira: $4,000
def. Khaos Williams: $3,500Rob Font: $10,000
def. Marlon Moraes: $5,000Marcin Tybura: $10,000
def. Greg Hardy: $5,000Anthony Pettis: $20,000
def. Alex Morono: $10,000Pannie Kianzad: $4,000
def. Sijara Eubanks: $5,000Deron Winn: $4,000
def. Antonio Arroyo: $3,500Taila Santos: $3,500
def. Gillian Robertson: $5,000Tafon Nchukwi: $3,500
def. Jamie Pickett: $3,500Jimmie Flick: $3,500
def. Cody Durden: $3,500Christos Giagos: $5,000
def. Carlton Minus: $3,500
Fightful has all of your MMA needs covered. Follow us on Twitter for updates, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, lists, news updates, and predictions.
