Stephen Thompson will be looking to tally consecutive wins for the first time in over four years when he takes on Geoff Neal on Saturday in the UFC Vegas 17 main event as a slim -105 underdog on the UFC odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Thompson has been idle since earning a three-round unanimous decision win over Vicente Luque last year at UFC 244, which marked just his second victory in six octagon appearances going into Saturday night’s fight at UFC APEX.
Thompson has never fully rebounded from his failed bid for the UFC welterweight title. The 37-year-old American twice battled former champion Tyron Woodley for the crown. Their first clash at UFC 205 ended in a draw, followed by a rematch just four months later at UFC 209, in which Thompson fell to defeat by a narrow majority decision.
Wonderboy has produced mixed results ever since, following up a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 217 with back-to-back losses to Darren Till and Anthony Pettis before paying out as a -115 wager at online betting sites in his recent victory over Luque. And while Thompson finished opponents on eight occasions over his first 13 pro fights, he has seen six of his past seven contests decided by the judges.
Listed as a -125 favourite for Saturday night’s bout, Neal has steadily climbed the UFC welterweight rankings during his current seven-fight win streak. Now set as the No. 11 contender in the welterweight division, Neal has claimed victory inside five minutes on four occasions during his current win streak, capped by a TKO win over Mike Perry just 90 seconds into their tilt at UFC 245 that paid out on -300 odds. However, Neal has turned in mixed results in fights lasting more than two rounds, going 3-2, with each of his two career losses coming in the third round.
Elsewhere on the UFC betting lines for Saturday, former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo continues the search for his first win as a bantamweight as he battles Marlon Vera as -155 chalk. Aldo has lost three straight, capped by a fifth-round TKO defeat by Petr Yan in his recent bid for the UFC bantamweight crown at UFC 251. Vera returns to action as a +125 bet after claiming an opening-round TKO win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 252 as a +250 underdog, and has earned performance bonuses in two of his last three outings.
Earlier in the evening, welterweight Kalinn Williams looks for a third straight win inside 60 seconds as he faces Michel Pereira as a +100 underdog, while Marlon Moraes takes on fellow bantamweight Rob Font as a -155 favourite.
