Another intriguing welterweight matchup has been set for UFC 244. But it’s a bout that one competitor said he wasn’t interested in just a few days ago.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto tweeted Wednesday that per UFC president Dana White, Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque has been agreed upon for the Nov. 2 card at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Thompson, who was a guest fighter at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, told MMA Junkie he wasn’t particularly interested in a fight with Luque, who had called Thompson out after defeating Mike Perry last month.
Regardless, the 36-year old Thompson (14-4-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) has accepted the bout with Luque and will look to shake off a two-fight losing streak. The two-time welterweight title challenger most recently lost via second-round knockout at the hands of Anthony Pettis at UFC on ESPN+ 6 on March 23.
Luque (17-6-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), for his part, has quietly put together one of the division’s finest runs in recent years. His split-decision victory in a brutal affair against Perry last month in Uruguay was his sixth win in a row and earned the New Jersey resident by way of Brazil his second “Fight of the Night” bonus in his past three fights.
UFC 244 will be headlined by Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal in a welterweight fight with the “BMF” belt going to the winner.
