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“Wonderboy” picked right back up where he left off last November, earning another shutout unanimous decision win over the streaking Geoff Neal in similar fashion to his Fight of the Night effort against Vicente Luque at UFC 244.
Thompson started quickly, evading Neal as he pressed forward and making him pay for the perpetual forward motion. The former title challenger evaded well when caught against the fence, and he countered with precision. As the fight wore on, Thompson fended off Neal’s bullying attempts against the cage, keeping the fight at a comfortable range where he could fire off straight shots and his classic variety of kicks.
In the third and fourth round, Thompson continued with his game plan and peppered Neal with straight punches as well as knees and elbows. At the end of the fourth, Neal appeared to hurt Thompson’s right knee with a strike, impacting Wonderboy’s patented lateral movement. Thompson adjusted by biting down on his mouthpiece and engaging in wild exchanges more often, showing his toughness and chin were very much on the same level of his striking. He continued to fend off Neal, who stayed in the fight for its entirety, but in the end, Thompson showed he is very much in the welterweight title picture heading into 2021.
“With a good win over Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque – some of these up-and-coming guys, guys that are undefeated or (with) five-fight winning streaks, seven-fight winning streaks – they gotta give me somebody in the top 5,” Thompson said. “I’m still here ranked in the top-5. So, hopefully the UFC – after I heal up – will give me somebody in the top 5. Jorge Masvidal would be an awesome fight because we fought each other before.”