UFC News: 'NMF' Stephen Thompson Respectfully Issues Challenge to Leon Edwards

It didn’t take long for Leon Edwards to get some possible opponents following the withdrawal of Khamzat Chimaev.

Edwards and Chimaev were scheduled to finally face off at an upcoming UFC event on March 13, but the latter was forced to pull out after still suffering the lingering effects of his bout with COVID-19 last November.

This is the third time that the Edwards-Chimaev matchup has fallen through, and once again, Edwards is left without a cage counterpart.

Whether or not Edwards gets a new opponent or gets scratched from the event completely remains to be seen, but there is no shortage of contenders looking to fill in the void left by Chimaev.

One of those contenders who has expressed his willingness to step in is none other than Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

Just hours after it was announced that Chimaev had pulled out, Thompson issued a challenge to Edwards in the most respectful way possible. After all, he is the self-proclaimed "NMF” or “Nicest Mother----er” in the UFC.

"Let’s give the fans what they want to see," an excerpt of Thompson’s tweet read.

Thompson has long angled for a fight against Edwards, but the feeling hasn’t been mutual.

In 2020, Edwards explained why a fight with Thompson didn’t interest him, stating that “Wonderboy” wouldn’t have been a step towards a title shot.

Currently the No. 5-ranked contender in the welterweight division, Thompson is coming off back-to-back victories, including a grueling five-round decision win over Geoff Neal in December.

Maybe the consecutive victories are enough for Edwards to reconsider his stance on fighting Thompson.

Edwards, meanwhile, currently occupies the No. 3 spot in the 170-pound rankings and is on an impressive eight-fight winning streak. In addition, has won 10 of his last 11 contests.

In his last three fights, Edwards has defeated Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and former UFC titleholder Rafael dos Anjos.