Stephen Thompson verbally agrees to face Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296: “Can’t wait”

UFC welterweight contenders Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov will clash in December.

‘Wonderboy’ seemingly targeted Kamaru Usman after his canceled bout with Michel Pereira earlier this summer. At the time, Stephen Thompson stated that he was uninterested in facing up-and-comers such as Shavkat Rakhmonov. Instead, he would prefer to face former champions such as ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’. The bout was targeted for December after the former titleholder showed interest.

Well, it seems that Stephen Thompson has changed his mind. Earlier today, the former welterweight title challenger took to X, where he confirmed that he recently accepted a fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov. He added that the slated date for the bout is December 16th, which would be UFC 296.

That card is expected to be headlined by Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington for the welterweight title. Nonetheless, the addition of Stephen Thompson vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov is another stellar bout that has now been added to the card. Both men enter the welterweight matchup off massive wins.

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Image via: @WonderboyMMA on Instagram

“UFC offered and I’ve accepted, @Rakhmonov1994 let’s close out the year strong. Dec 16 can’t wait” – Thompson recently wrote on social media.

For his part, Stephen Thompson is coming off a fourth-round stoppage win over Kevin Holland in December. That snapped a two-fight losing streak for the 40-year-old, previously losing to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad. Now, he will look to secure a title shot against the rising Shavkat Rakhmonov.

For his part, ‘Nomad’ is coming off a third-round submission win over Geoff Neal earlier this year. That was his fifth win inside the UFC octagon, previously defeating names such as Neil Magny and Alex Oliveira. In December, he will now look to secure the biggest win of his career against Stephen Thompson at UFC 296.

 What do you make of his fight announcement? Who do you got in this welterweight clash? Stephen Thompson or Shavkat Rakhmonov?