Lawler vs Thompson in the works for UFC’s first ESPN card
UFC’s debut on ESPN could have a clash between top welterweights.
The UFC will have their debut event on ESPN on January 18, 2019 and a clash between two top welterweight strikers could be part of the card.
According to MMA Junkie, a bout between former UFC champion Robbie Lawler and former title challenger Stephen Thompson is being targeted for the yet unannounced ESPN event. The bout is yet to be finalized, as Lawler, who is recovering from an ACL injury, is waiting for clearance from his doctor to return to training.
They expect to get the go signal soon, and if the bout indeed pushes through, it will pit the number four and five ranked welterweights together.
Lawler is coming off a decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos on December of 2017. The former welterweight champion tore his ACL on that match up, and will seemingly miss the entire 2018 because of the injury. The loss dropped him to 1-1 since losing his title in 2016.
Thompson, the number four ranked welterweight, is coming off a disputed decision against Darren Till last May. The two-time title challenger also beat Jorge Masvidal prior to that.