The NMF title holder, Stephen Thompson is calling out Colby Covington for a potential title contender fight. Thompson is known for his high level karate style fight could pose some problems against Covington.
If I’m not scary….fight me! @ColbyCovMMA
— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) March 15, 2021
Of course, Stephen Thompson calls out Covington in a classic NMF way. Covington also said that he is interested in fighting Thompson for the right money which would still mean a difficult thing to do. Covington already had a dispute in the past with the UFC regarding his pay, so if he can’t get what he wants we will likely not see it.
Stephen Thompson could also pose a threat to Covington’s style as he has great takedown defense with pinpoint accurate striking. The only fighters that have given Thompson trouble were opponents with powerful counterpunching abilities as shown with his fight against Woodley and Pettis. Covington does not possess the power like Woodley so how would he approach the fight?
Covington could use his constant pressure to close the distance which would make Thompson not be able to hit at will. Covington’s gas tank is what makes him hard to beat, he would just go forward for all five rounds, and not give his opponent time to rest. His wrestling is also one of the best in the division.
The winner of the fight would likely fight for the title next. Both are coming off an impressive win against top contenders so another win would get a shot for the title.
Wonderboy also needs to hurry up as he is already 38 years old, it would be difficult to stay on his prime given his age and at the Welterweight division. Even Khabib has said that in smaller divisions it is more difficult to be an elite if the fighter is a bit old.
With the Usman vs Masvidal booked, the other contenders need to fight so it makes sense for the UFC to make this fight. Leon Edwards is coming off a no contest fight against Belal Muhammad, he said he deserves a title shot which most disagree. The only other fighter left in the top 5 would be Gilbert Burns but he would still need to recover after the brutal loss against Usman.
