Tag: Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson: Liverpool Judges Could ‘Do Better’

Wonderboy believes the judges in Liverpool should have been more professional:

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Stephen Thompson may be the most respectful competitor in MMA.

But even an extremely nice person like “Wonderboy” can’t hide all of his true feelings following his extremely close and controversial decision loss to Darren Till in the main event of Sunday’s (May 27, 2018) UFC Liverpool from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.

He was respectful and complimentary of Till in the moments after the fight, yet during an appearance on The MMA Hour today, ‘Wonderboy’ told Ariel Helwani that he believes the judges could ‘do better’ and if the fight was anywhere but Till’s hometown of Liverpool he believes he would have won a decision:

“I know close fights are very hard in the moment,” Thompson said. “But there seems to be a lot of that happening recently. But I think [I would have won if the fight was not in Liverpool]. I really do. I think so. Darren is definitely a tough guy, man. He’s a very confident person. Definitely built for the fight game. And yeah, I think I would win that fight.”

Several of the decision’s doubters – most media members scored it for Thompson – believed that the boisterous crowd, who oohed and awed every time Till even through a strike that missed, played a huge part in the cageside judges scoring it for the 25-year-old rising star. Thompson said he didn’t notice it, but if that was the case, those judges should have judged the match-up more professionally:

“You’ve gotta be professional out there,” Thompson said. “I’d like to think of the judges as being professional and not thinking that and them focusing on the fight and not what the fans are doing. I literally didn’t hear a damn thing out there. I didn’t hear the crowd. People were saying that every time a punch would whiff by you — not even make contact — the crowd was going crazy. I don’t know. That could be a possibility, yeah.”

Ultimately, though, Thompson kept the same strategy that he did after the loss, choosing to respect his opponent no matter which way the scorecards went:

“Once they make that announcement, I’m not gonna go out there and pitch a fit,” Thompson said. “I’m gonna take it like a man and be a gentleman. I’m gonna shake my partner’s hand and that’s how it should be done. I can’t go back and change it.”

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‘Big John’ Sounds Off On Darren Till vs. Wonderboy Decision

Do you agree with Big John?

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Aside from a bevy of MMA action from the United Kingdom, the sport saw a bit of controversy last weekend when hometown favorite Darren Till outlasted Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision in the main event of Sunday’s (May 27, 2018) UFC Liverpool from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.

The scores, which featured two head-scratching 49-46 totals for Till in a fight many felt ‘Wonderboy’ had won outright, were met with a predictable backlash from the collective MMA community online, although Thompson himself wouldn’t make any excuses and said he would simply go back to the drawing board.

Many were far more incensed that he was, however, as a large portion of prominent figures in the sport voiced their displeasure at what had transpired in the UFC’s first trip to Liverpool. That includes longtime MMA referee and current Bellator commentator ‘Big John’ McCarthy, who spoke up on Twitter to detail his views on the fight.

In his eyes, Till’s pressuring and octagon control wasn’t enough to defeat Thompson, whom he felt landed the cleaner strikes:

“Sorry but controlling the Octagon does not give you the round. landed the cleaner harder shots in the first 3 rounds. Sad that people that are supposed to know about the sport are lacking greatly in their knowledge of what is scored in a round.”

McCarthy then responded to a fan named Thomas who suggested Till had won every aspect of the bout including striking, grappling, and octagon control, telling him that if, and only if, the striking and grappling were even, which ‘Big John’ thinks they were not in this instance, is octagon control even taken into consideration:

“Thomas, I’m sure I would like you too, but just because the UFC puts something on its broadcast doesn’t mean it is scored like that. So you know, striking & or grappling will be the sole determinant of who wins a round unless they are exactly equal, then u bring in aggression. If that is equal then the last element the judge will use is cage or Octagon Control. Oh and so you know, I’m pretty sure about this because I wrote it.”

Till ultimately won the battle of significant strikes by a small margin in a tentative fight, and he also scored the fight’s only knockdown in addition to controlling the octagon, three factors that would suggest he won rather handily.

But McCarthy suggested that the person quantifying the significant strikes was simply a ‘TV guy’ who didn’t necessarily take into account that all strikes were the same, raising another reason why it was questionable Till had won:

“So tell me who is the person pushing the button on what they believe to be a significant strike? It’s just a TV guy. 2nd all punches, kicks, knees etc are not the same. This is where people start to get confused when assessing who is winning a fight.”

Do you agree with ‘Big John’s’ harsh assessment of how the controversial UFC Liverpool main event was scored?

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Stephen Thompson Details How Many Rounds He Thought He Won At UFC Liverpool

Like many, Stephen Thompson felt he had done enough to beat Darren Till:

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Yesterday (May 27, 2018), former two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson entered enemy territory to take on 25-year-old rising star Darren Till in the main event of UFC Fight Night 130 from Till’s home of Liverpool, England.

And while the fight was a highly anticipated one, it turned out to be a bit lackluster, with neither man producing much action. The score also turned out to be quite controversial, as Till was given a unanimous decision victory, while many had “Wonderboy” winning.

Thompson also felt as if he had done enough to get the nod:

“I thought I had four of the rounds,” Thompson said at the event’s post-fight press conference. “Could be controversial, three maybe? I don’t know. I felt like I would hit and move. The only really good shot he had was that one shot in the fifth round, but other than that it was pretty close. I felt comfortable out there. I realized how big he was so I knew I had to stay on my bike and keep moving.”

“I knew it was going to be a close fight, but I thought I had edged it out,” he continued. “He’s a big boy, he’s hard to move around. Didn’t move anywhere, came forward, tough guy.”

In a five-round fight that produced few notable moments, it was indeed Till who scored the only knockdown, dropping Thompson in the final frame with his patented left hand. “Wonderboy”, however, admitted he was ‘staggered’, but confirmed that he wasn’t out:

“I was dazed for a minute, I was definitely going all the way down. Just smoked me right on the back of the head here,” Thompson said. “I went down, been hit there before, but recovered well, got right back up to my feet, so I didn’t go out, my legs gave out a little bit and that was it.

“It staggered me a little bit, but I didn’t black out or anything. I finished the round okay I thought. Thank goodness I was blessed with a hard head.”

At the end of the day, Till may not have done enough to win over the masses worldwide, but he proved that he can compete with the elite at 170 pounds, and Thompson recognized that:

“He’s a good fighter,” Thompson said. “I expected him to be a little more aggressive than he was tonight. He was doing a lot of waiting, he did come to me a little bit. Every time I’d blitz in he stood there right in front of me, so he was a big guy.

“I knew I couldn’t back him up, so I had to kind of play the game, so to speak. Landed a good shot in the first round on my knee, which kept me from moving and doing what I wanted to do out there, especially throwing my kicks. I felt wobbly standing on it so that took me out of the game a little bit, but he’s a good fighter. Very tough guy.”

Who did you score the bout for?

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Best Fights To Make Following Bellator 200 & UFC Liverpool

Check out the best fights to make following Bellator 200 and UFC Liverpool:

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This weekend was full of action in the combat sports world from the UK, with Bellator 200 taking place Friday (May 26, 2018) from the SSE Arena in London, England and UFC Fight Night 130 taking place yesterday (May 27, 2018) from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.

Starting off with Bellator 200, the main event featured a middleweight title fight between Rafael Carvalho and Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi ended up dominating the fight and scoring a first-round finish to become the promotion’s new 185-pound champion.

In the co-main event, welterweight standout Michael “Venom” Page outclassed opponent David Rickels, as Rickels verbally submitted in the second round.

Moving on to UFC Fight Night 130, the main event played host to a highly-anticipated welterweight bout between Stephen Thompson and Liverpool native Darren Till. The fight, which was rather uneventful, may not have delivered in the eyes of many and Till ended up winning a somewhat controversial unanimous decision.

The co-main event saw veteran Neil Magny score a first-round TKO victory over late replacement Craig White.

With both events now in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at some of the best fights to make moving forward:

Steven Flynn for USA TODAY Sports

Gegard Mousasi vs. Rory MacDonald

Former UFC welterweight title challenger and reigning Bellator welterweight champion MacDonald has previously expressed his interest in moving up in weight to challenge for another title.

Following his first-round victory on Friday, newly-minted middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi called out MacDonald in his post-fight interview. The “Red King” then took to Twitter to share his continued interest in the bout.

Ultimately, Mousasi and MacDonald are two of the best fighters in the world and without question two top fighters in their respective weight classes. Both appear to be in the prime of their respective careers and are interested in fighting each other.

A bout between the two would be one of the biggest Bellator could possibly put together and with neither champion having a clear challenger awaiting him, the timing makes sense too.

Book it.

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Darren Till Explains Why Stephen Thompson Deserves Title Shot

Despite winning the fight, Till doesn’t believe he should be given a title shot.

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Darren Till is coming off the biggest win thus far in his pro-MMA career.

However, that doesn’t mean that he believes he should be receiving a shot at the UFC welterweight title, which is currently held by Tyron Woodley as a result of it.

As seen in the main event of Sunday’s (May 27, 2018) UFC Liverpool event that aired live on FOX Sports 1 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, the rising prospect picked up a unanimous decision win over former title contender Stephen Thompson.

It was a rough week for Till as he missed weight on Saturday and had to stay below 188 pounds until a few hours before the fight in order for the commission to sanction it.

Despite the hurdles that were in his way, he was able to pick up a notable win over a top name and many believe he is in the running for a crack at the strap except for Till himself.

“I missed weight, so I don’t feel I deserve a title shot anyway,” Till told reporters, including MMAjunkie, after his win. “I missed weight. So there you go, right away. I don’t deserve it. I feel like Stephen deserves it. Whoever wins out of the interim (title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington at UFC 225 should fight) maybe Stephen or (Kamaru) Usman. They deserve it more. … I still want to beat them all in the division. I want to come back and put that weight thing behind me.”

“I feel like my win could be a little bit more right now if I’d made weight,” Till said. “I’m taking a bit off. No matter what – win, lose or draw – I’m taking a bit off. Because I’m ashamed. I am a professional, and I’m a big guy for the weight, and I’ve got to get it more under control. I’ve made weight before … I’ve just got to get it more under control now. Adversity, good or bad, I’ll take it.”

Although Till is not sure what’s next for him, he knows it won’t be for the title and would like to fight once again when the promotion comes back to Liverpool.

UFC President Dana White has gone on record by stating that Till will fight next in Las Vegas.

“I think Stephen deserves a go with the interim more than I do myself,” Till said. “I know I’ve just beat him in a close fight, but give it to Stephen. He made weight and is still No. 1 and has beat more guys than me.

Give it to him. I’m a realist. I’m not going to sit here and bull(expletive) anyone. I’m not going to bull(expletive) myself, and I’m certainly not going to bull(expletive) you. Give it to Stephen.”

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