Stephen Thompson interested in rematch against Jorge Masvidal; says he's a "different animal" this time

Stephen Thompson last fought at UFC 244 in Madison Square Garden - where he defeated Vicente Luque in an incredible fight. Thompson has had some memorable fights in the garden, the most highly-remembered one being his first encounter against Tyron Woodley for the UFC Welterweight Championship.

The following year, he faced Jorge Masvidal in a 3-round opener and beat him comfortably to secure a unanimous decision. Since then, Masvidal had taken a full year away before returning to have the greatest year of his career in 2019.

His stock rose and his recent title fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 was proof that he's reached superstar status in the UFC in a big way.

Speaking to Line Movement, Stephen Thompson revealed that he would prefer to return to the Octagon in a month or two and listed a few opponents, stating that he's open to fighting Jorge Masvidal as well (BJPENN.com):

“I’m always looking for the title, I want to move forward. Colby Covington, Leon Edwards, even Masvidal I wouldn’t mind, even though he doesn’t have the title, I would love to face up Masvidal again. It will help me out moving up in the rankings for sure. So, anyone of those guys I mentioned would be awesome.”

When asked about how different it would be fighting Jorge Masvidal 3 years on, Stephen Thompson acknowledged that Gamebred is a whole different animal now:

“Oh, 100 percent I think he will be a different animal for sure. His confidence level is through the roof and that can go a long way,” he said. “Not just that but his training routine, his mindset is different than it was before.”

Is Stephen Thompson vs Jorge Masvidal a realistic direction?

While we're not sure whether Jorge Masvidal will fight again in 2020, it would be good for him if he did. However, after losing to Kamaru Usman, he told Ariel Helwani of ESPN that he's not as interested in money fights against Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz anymore.

However, it's more likely that we'll see Jorge Masvidal face Leon Edwards over Stephen Thompson. Right now, he's the opponent that makes the most sense.