UFC added a welterweight bout between Stephen Thompson & Belal Muhammad to their event Dec. 18 in Las Vegas. Both fighters were confirmed on Thursday.
The final UFC Fight Night event in 2021 will host the 170-pound bout. Thompson confirmed the news via ESPN, while Muhammad shared it via social media. The first to report the news was MMAJunkie.com.
After losing to Gilbert Burns in July's decision, Thompson (16-5-11) will be looking to re-build his title record. Thompson had previously won two consecutive bouts against Geoff Neal, Vicente Luque and Vicente Luque. Thompson is still UFC's No. He is the 5th ranked welterweight and one of few remaining top challengers who hasn't fought Kamaru Usman, the defending champion.
Thompson fought in Simpsonville, South Carolina. He last fought for the title at UFC 209 back in 2017.
Muhammad (19-3) hopes to complete a big 2021. With wins over Demian Maia and Dhiego Lima, he is now 2-0 for the year. In March's main event at UFC Fight Night, he fought Leon Edwards. However, the bout was declared no contest after Muhammad suffered an unintentional eye poke.
Muhammad, 33 years old, is currently No. The official UFC welterweight rankings list Muhammad at No. 9.
