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Stephen Thompson Grabs Decision Win Over Geoff Neal With Masterful Striking Display – UFC Vegas 17 Highlights

It’s two consecutive victories for two-time UFC welterweight title challenger, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. The road to the 170-pound top-five still goes through Simpsonville, South Carolina with fan-favourite Thompson displaying some of the most technical striking in recent memory to score a dominant judging win over Geoff ‘Handz of Steel’ Neal. Utilzing his phenomenal footwork from […]

Utilzing his phenomenal footwork from the get-go, Thomspon fired from ranfe on cue, countering and evading the pace-pushing and pressuring from Neal. With just over a minute remaining in the round, Thompson and Neal unfortunately clashed heads during an exchange — opening a cut on both of their eyebrows. Round one in the books and a round for Wonderboy.

Closing the distance with a lot more urgency given the location of his cut, Neal clinched alongside the fence against Thompson, after eating a front-leg side-kick to the body. Picking each shot with aplomb, Thompson landed his shot of choice before changing direction and evading any incoming counters. Doing his best work before the buzzer, Neal clipped Wonderboy with a nice short left-hook. Another round under Wonderboy’s belt, however.

Again clinching after some more masterful striking from Thompson, Neal, who seemed somewhat dejected managed to control the Simpsonville native at the fence. Thompson again nabs a round with a more aggressive approach to the final exchanges of the third.

More of the same in the penultimate round for Thompson who landed his best shots in the center of the Octagon as Neal retreated as the former evaded. Worryingly for the karate practitioner, he noted a potentially injured right leg with some major swelling above the 38-year-old’s knee. Battling through the apparent injury, Thompson traded in the pocket with Neal, however, it was too little too late for the Fortis MMA mainstay as Wonderboy makes it two in two with a unanimous decision win.

Following the announcement of the official decision, Thompson called for an NMF vs. BMF rematch with recent welterweight title challenger, Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal.

Below, catch the highlights from Wonderboy’s second straight win as he dominates surging contender, Neal.

Drama in the Wonderboy corner as we hit the fifth. #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/R8yYE9BUZV

— UFC (@ufc) December 20, 2020

UFC Vegas 17 Highlights: Stephen Thompson Outstrikes Geoff Neal

Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal closed out the year for the promotion in an exciting way. The two fighters met in a welterweight bout on Saturday night (December 19, 2020) at the UFC Vegas 17 event from the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada …

Stephen Thompson Outpoints Geoff Neal – UFC Vegas 17 Results

IT’S TIME! The UFC Vegas 17 main event between Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal is about to begin… Round 1: Stephen Thompson is throwing big kicks early but missing. He goes low with his next few and manages to land. Another upstairs is well blocked by Geoff Neal. ‘Wonderboy’ touches the body then gets on […]

IT’S TIME! The UFC Vegas 17 main event between Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal is about to begin…

Round 1: Stephen Thompson is throwing big kicks early but missing. He goes low with his next few and manages to land. Another upstairs is well blocked by Geoff Neal. ‘Wonderboy’ touches the body then gets on his bike to get away from Neal who is constantly pushing forward. Thompson finds himself up against the cage and Neal lets his hands go for the first time. Thompson is using the threat of his strikes to create distance and avoid spending to much time against the fence. Thompson is tapping his man at every opportunity. Neal is chasing forward trying to land a knockout blow but is unable to catch ‘Wonderboy’. Thompson tires a spinning back kick but slips. The two fighters come together and clash heads. Thompson is cut above the eye and referee Marc Goddard temporarily stops the fight. Neal is also cut from the accidental headbutt. The fight recommences and after a few short moments the horn sounds to end round one.

Round 2: Lot’s of feints from Neal at the start of round two. Eventually he rushes in and pushes ‘Wonderboy’ up against the fence. Neal lands a few short shots before Thompson reverses the position. ‘Wonderboy’ lands a straight down the pipe and follows up with a hard body kick. Thompson is really starting to pick up the pace. Three consecutive shots land and Neal is unable to fire back. ‘Wonderboy’ is constantly going upstairs with his kicks. Neal is doing well to block them all but it’s all defence from him at this point. Neal charges in with a crude combo but doesn’t land. Thompson continues to pepper Neal with shots and use his great movement to avoid taking any damage. Neal is undeterred and manages to land one his bigger punches of the fight at the end of round two.

Round 3: More of the same at the start of round three. ‘Wonderboy’ with lots of volume and movement. Nothing big is landing but all these shots are adding up. Neal lands a overhand before pushing Thompson up against the fence. It’s a stalemate in this position. Lot’s of and fighting and short shots before they eventually separate. ‘Wonderboy’ goes back to work with lots of volume from the outside. Neal continues to barge forward and is starting to find more success with his strikes as the fight goes on. Neal pushes the fight to the fence once again. Neal’s mouth-guard pops out. Thompson lives up to his NMF tag by letting his opponent drop down and grab it. ‘Wonderboy’ isn’t nice once the action gets back underway. He’s starting to land with power. Neal lands something nice of it own but Thompson really ended that round really well.

Round 4: Not much changes at the start of round four. ‘Wonderboy’ continues to score with the volume and avoid taking damage with his movement. He doesn’t appear to be slowing down but Neal remains dangerous in these championship rounds. Neal closes distance again and presses to the fence. He spins and misses on the exit. ‘Wonderboy’ lands a nice right hand that appeared to hurt Neal. He steps in with a nice elbow and a jumping knee. It’s all really beautiful stuff from Thompson in round four. ‘Wonderboy’ slips over and Neal returns the favour by letting him stand back up. Thompson appears to hurt Neal with a strike but doesn’t follow up. Perhaps an eye poke? Neal presses the fight to the fence again. He is once again unable to make use of the position. The round ends with both men jockeying for position.

Round 5: ‘Wonderboy’ appears to have an injured right foot and pointed it out to his corner between rounds. He appears fine hopping around on it at the start of round five. Both men let it all hang out for a rare moment of craziness in what has otherwise been a hugely technical fight. Thompson is back on his bike after getting a stern warning from his corner. ‘Wonderboy’ is picking his shots nicely once again but it’s not long before Neal it threatening with big shots. He’s hunting for the KO in this final round. The problem is Thompson is able to land four or five shots before Neal can even throw one. Neal pushes the fight to the fence. Thompson is working hard to escape the position which Neal is doing well to hold. Eventually, they separate and return to the striking range with one minute left on the clock. ‘Wonderboy’ lets his hands fly. Neal lands a spinning elbow. Soon after he lands two really nice shots. Thompson is dabbing his eye which is flowing with blood now. They let it all hang out until the final bell sounds.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Stephen Thompson def. Geoff Neal via unanimous decision

UFC Vegas 17 Results: Thompson vs. Neal

LowKick MMA will be bringing you UFC Vegas 17: Thompson vs. Neal Results throughout the night (Sat. 19th. December 2020) from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the promotion’s final event of the year, originally slated to take co-main event status, a welterweight pairing of two-time title challenger, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and rising contender, Geoff […]

LowKick MMA will be bringing you UFC Vegas 17: Thompson vs. Neal Results throughout the night (Sat. 19th. December 2020) from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the promotion’s final event of the year, originally slated to take co-main event status, a welterweight pairing of two-time title challenger, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and rising contender, Geoff ‘Handz of Steel’ Neal round out 2020 for the organization in a five-round headliner.

Making his first Octagon appearance since UFC 244 in November of last year ar Madison Square Garden, Thompson looks to improve on an impressive unanimous decision win over Vicente Luque over three frames, as he tackles fellow striking ace, Fortis MMA staple, Neal.

It’s a battle of two of the most technical strikers at 170-pounds today, with Wonderboy’s karate-bouncing style pitted opposite a traditional kickboxing flow of Sayif Saud product, Neal — who has knocked back five contenders in a row on his way to tonight’s first main event outing.

Neal, an alum of Dana White’s Contender Series most recently made an Octagon walk at UFC 245 in December last, stopping the outspoken, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry with a high-kick followed by strikes in the opening-round. It’s a battle of striking styles tonight, with the victor emerging on the cusp of a potential title-eliminator next.

Promoted to the co-headliner as a result of Thompson and Neal’s reworked pairing, former UFC feathrweight kingpin, Jose Aldo ‘Jr.’ looks to snap a three-fight slide and nab his first win at bantamweight since his division move at the end of last year. Dropping a close split decision loss to one-time title challenger, ‘Magic’ Marlon Moraes, Aldo still competed for undisputed vacant bantamweight spoils against Petr ‘No Mercy’ Yan in July at UFC 251, dropping a late ground-and-pound loss.

Standing across from the Manaus favourite is streaking bantamweight contender, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. A winner of six-straight at 135-pounds, the Ecuadorian finisher last featured at UFC 252 in August in another co-main event slot, finishing ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley late in the opening-round with strikes, after he connected with a damaging calf kick which exacerbated a prior leg injury.

UFC Vegas 17 Results: Thompson vs. Neal

Main Card (ESPN+ 7 p.m. ET)

Welterweight: Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal

Bantamweight: Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Vera

Welterweight: Michel Pereira vs. Khaos Williams

Bantamweight: Marlon Moraes vs. Rob Font

Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura vs. Greg Hardy

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ 4 p.m. ET)

Welterweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Alex Morono

Bantamweight: Sijara Eubanks vs. Pannie Kianzad

Catchweight (195-pounds): Deron Winn vs. Antonio Arroyo

Flyweight: Gillian Robertson vs. Talia Santos

Middleweight: Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett

Flyweight: Jimmy Flick vs. Cody Durden

Catchweight: Christos Giagos vs. Carlton Minus

Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal – UFC Vegas 17 Staff Predictions

Jordan Ellis: I really fancy Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson heading into this UFC Vegas 17 main event. Last time out he looked sensational against Vicente Luque and I really think he could mount another UFC title challenge. Geoff Neal is a good prospect but is heading into the toughest fight of his career off the back […]

Jordan Ellis: I really fancy Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson heading into this UFC Vegas 17 main event. Last time out he looked sensational against Vicente Luque and I really think he could mount another UFC title challenge. Geoff Neal is a good prospect but is heading into the toughest fight of his career off the back of probably the toughest year of his life. I’m interested to see how he looks tonight after everything but I suspect over five rounds Thompson will just have too much for him.

Prediction: Stephen Thompson

Karim Nathan: I really like this card and I feel like it going under the radar a little bit. For the main event, I feel like we’ll see a fight thats a bit similar to Wonderboy’s last fight where Neal will keep coming forward while Wonderboy will pick his shots, the only difference being that this is a 5 rounder so I think Neal will fatigue and Wonderboy will finish him off in the 4th or 5th round. This fight also has a very good chance of being fight of the night.

Prediction: Stephen Thompson

Ross Markey: Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal could really determine the best technical striking talent at welterweight today. Thompson, a tricky, difficult to time karate practitioner with masterful movement, counters, and ability to distance himself correctly. Neal, a more traditional kickboxer out of Sayif Saud’s family at Fortis MMA – who I’d give the more lethal edge to in this showdown. It’s very difficult to look good against Wonderboy, and even though he’s suffered defeats against Tyron Woodley, Darren Till, and Anthony Pettis of note recently, none of those three had a spectacular showing against the Simpsonville native. I’m siding with Karim on this one: Wonderboy to knock back the surging Neal over a five-round judging win.

Prediction: Stephen Thompson

Ryan MacCarthy: I think Wonderboy Thompson get it done here. I think it might be a little too much too early for Neal here. Im not a fan of this matchup for the very talented Geoff Neal. I think Wonderboy is going to be too savvy for him on the feet, and Neal might underestimate him a little. It’s a five-round fight, and I believe Wonderboy can knock Neal out in five rounds. He won’t do it early, but I think after touching him enough times, he’ll knock him out. I see. Thompson winning this by 4th round KO.

Prediction: Stephen Thompson

Alex Lough: I know we all wanted to see Khamzat, but Wonderboy vs Neal is an absolute banger that deserves to be 5 rounds. Like Karim said, this whole card is great, despite being ravaged by COVID. As for the fight, I think we all know that this is going to be a kickboxing match in MMA gloves. On paper it looks like the young lion in Neal is being sent in to take out the old guard in Thompson, but Wonderboy’s recent stretch isn’t as bad as it looks. The fights against Woodley were weird, the Till decision was razor close, and he was beating the brakes off Pettis until he got caught. That being said, he did get caught, and that’s what gives me concern. Thompson’s game is built around his movement, and that tends to slip with old age. Even losing just a step against someone like Neal, who is just as technical and has more power in his punches, could change things in the blink of an eye. I think the longer the fight goes, the more it favours Thompson, but I also think he gets caught before then. Neal by 3rd round KO.

Prediction: Geoff Neal

Neal Believes Win Over “Prime” Wonderboy Proves Contender Status

Geoff Neal thinks that by defeating Stephen Thompson, he will prove that he is a bona fide title contender and ready for primetime. UFC Vegas 17 will be headlined by Geoff Neal taking on the #5-ranked welterweight contender Stephen Thompson. Not unlike…