NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: Stephen Thompson poses on the scale during the UFC 244 weigh-ins at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 2019 in New York, New York.

Thompson-Neal promoted to Dec. 19 main event

5 years ago
Josh Hedges / UFC / Getty

Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson and Geoff Neal are set to headline UFC Fight Night on Dec. 19 after the Leon Edwards-Khamzat Chimaev bout was canceled, the promotion told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

The welterweight fight was originally scheduled as the co-main event of the year-end card, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Thompson-Neal will now be a five-round contest.

Edwards reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 recently, forcing him out of the matchup against Chimaev. The UFC hopes to reschedule that fight for early 2021.

Multiple injuries have kept Thompson sidelined since his win over Vicente Luque at UFC 244 in November 2019. The former title challenger is 2-2 in his past four bouts.

Neal, a rising 170-pound contender, is coming off a knockout win over Mike Perry last December. The 30-year-old is 5-0 in the UFC.

The Dec. 19 card also features a pair of marquee bantamweight clashes: Marlon Moraes versus Rob Font and Jose Aldo against Marlon Vera.

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