Tag: Stephen Thompson

Tyron Woodley: Sage Northcutt Is Faster & More Powerful Than Wonderboy

UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley is headed for the biggest fight of his MMA career when he faces surging No. 1 contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the co-main event of November 12’s blockbuster UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. After winning the title with an earth-shaking first round knockout over former champion

The post Tyron Woodley: Sage Northcutt Is Faster & More Powerful Than Wonderboy appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley is headed for the biggest fight of his MMA career when he faces surging No. 1 contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the co-main event of November 12’s blockbuster UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

After winning the title with an earth-shaking first round knockout over former champion Robbie Lawler at July 30’s UFC 201, ‘The Chosen One’ will now meet an opponent whom many feel has the perfect to defeat his hard-charging style, as “Wonderboy” used his unique karate-based offense to defeat former title contender Rory MacDonald in his most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 89.

The one-sided decision win secured seven straight wins and a title shot for Thompson, who has finished Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger, and surging middleweight Robert Whittaker during the streak. He may possess the most momentum of any fighter in the Octagon, yet Woodley believes Thompson isn’t even as good as his new training partner.

In a video released on his Youtube channel, Woodley is featured sparring with highly touted UFC lightweight Sage Northcutt. Apparently impressed with ‘Super’ Sage’s skills, Woodley made the bold proclamation that Northcutt is indeed faster, more powerful, and in possession of better takedown defense than the larger and more experienced Thompson (transcribed by Bloody Elbow):

“These young guys, man. Old man got to whip out those new tricks, because they come at you,” Woodley said about Northcutt. “I work with Sage. He’s obviously in a similar style as the opponent I will be fighting against.”

“He, just in my opinion, is just a little bit faster, and his strikes come with a little bit more force. His takedown defense should be better. His power should be better, so I’m actually training with a better version of what I’m going to compete with.”

Those words could (will) evoke the collective ire of the online MMA community in a big way, as Woodley has already been the subject of many an online attack following his win over Lawler, including alleged instances of racism.

But aside from those ridiculous back-and-forths, Northcutt is still very inexperienced compared to Thompson, and has yet to display the pure knockout power that the flashy, pinpoint striking “Wonderboy” has used to win his way to the top of one of MMA’s deepest divisions.

Do you believe Northcutt comes close to outclassing Thompson in the areas Woodley focused on? Watch their training video and decide for yourself:

The post Tyron Woodley: Sage Northcutt Is Faster & More Powerful Than Wonderboy appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Watch: Epic Promo For UFC’s Inaugural New York Event

The UFC is heading to Madison Square Garden for the first time in its storied career, when UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor goes one-on-one with 155-pound champ Eddie Alvarez in attempt to become the first dual-weight champ in promotion history. During the stunning UFC 204 pay-per-view (PPV) event last night (October 8, 2016), the UFC

The post Watch: Epic Promo For UFC’s Inaugural New York Event appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The UFC is heading to Madison Square Garden for the first time in its storied career, when UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor goes one-on-one with 155-pound champ Eddie Alvarez in attempt to become the first dual-weight champ in promotion history.

During the stunning UFC 204 pay-per-view (PPV) event last night (October 8, 2016), the UFC unveiled an amazing promo in anticipation of the UFC’s first stop to ‘The Grand Apple’, featuring stars who will be competing on the card such as Joanna J?drzejczyk, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, Tyron Woodley, Eddie Alvarez, and ‘The Notorious One’ himself, Conor McGregor.

You can check out the video here:

The post Watch: Epic Promo For UFC’s Inaugural New York Event appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Wonderboy: Rory MacDonald ‘Pretty Much Schooled’ Tyron Woodley

Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson will finally get his shot at UFC gold after leaving a murderer’s row of body trails in his path, having downed elite 170-pounders in the form of former champ Johny Hendricks and two-time title challenger Rory MacDonald. Thompson will step into the Octagon with current welterweight king Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley,

The post Wonderboy: Rory MacDonald ‘Pretty Much Schooled’ Tyron Woodley appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson will finally get his shot at UFC gold after leaving a murderer’s row of body trails in his path, having downed elite 170-pounders in the form of former champ Johny Hendricks and two-time title challenger Rory MacDonald.

Thompson will step into the Octagon with current welterweight king Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley, who is coming off of a fierce first round knockout over Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 to secure the strap, in the co-main event of UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden.

‘Wonderboy’ earned his shot at the 170-pound throne after having put on a beautiful 25-minute performance against the now Bellator bound Rory MacDonald, by earning a unanimous decision decision victory over ‘The Red King’ at UFC Fight Night 89 this past June.

MacDonald has quite the resume himself when it comes to Octagon experience, interestingly enough owning a unanimous decision win over the current champ Woodley from their clash at UFC 174 in 2014.

Thompson recently joined Submission Radio, courtesy of MMA Mania, to discuss his upcoming match-up with Woodley and stated that he already believes he faced the toughest challenge at 170-pounds in the form of MacDonald:

“If you look back at his fights, he doesn’t throw a double or go for the takedown very often. Tyron wants to put those hands on you and wants to try and knock you out. I think once he gets a little frustrated, obviously he’s gonna try and do that, just like everybody else that I’ve faced. I think pretty much the hardest opponent in the division is Rory MacDonald. I mean, Rory pretty much schooled Tyron Woodley. But I can’t take this guy lightly and that’s how I go in looking at this fight.Rory MacDonald vs Stephen Thompson

A lot of people are like, ‘oh man, you’re gonna crush this dude and Tyron Woodley, he smoked him’ and you know what, I don’t think like that. I’m not the type of guy to do that. Because I want to prepare for the best guy, and that’s Tyron Woodley. That’s the guy standing in front of me. I’m preparing myself as if this is going to be the hardest fight that I have ever faced – and it possibly could be. I want to be ready for five, five-minute rounds.”

The 33-year-old former undefeated kickboxer is one of the most feared strikers in the UFC today, and could certainly reign as the next great champion in the welterweight division with a potential win over Woodley in November. Could the Serra-Longo Fight Team product be the next big Georges St-Pierre caliber champ in the UFC? Only time will tell.

Woodley and Thompson will go toe-to-toe in the co-main event of UFC 205 for the welterweight championship live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City on November 12, 2016.

The post Wonderboy: Rory MacDonald ‘Pretty Much Schooled’ Tyron Woodley appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Maia On Standby If Wonderboy Falls Out, Otherwise He Wants Woodley-Thompson Winner

demian-maia

If everything goes as planned, UFC 205 among many other blockbuster fights, will feature UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley making the first defense of his newly won title against clear-cut number one contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, however if Wonderboy isn’t able to make it to the Octagon on November 12th, Demian Maia will apparently be ready to jump on the opportunity.

Maia’s manager, Eduardo Alonso, noted that after his fighters quick win over former interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit, they will be waiting on standby to fill-in for Wonderboy should he get injured in training as fighters often do during the build-up to fights, especially important fights such as once in a lifetime title opportunities.

“A title shot is a unique opportunity you don’t turn down,” Maia’s manager Eduardo Alonso told MMAFighting.com. “But if any injury happens to ‘Wonderboy’ and we get a call, unless Demian is injured, we will take the opportunity because you never know what tomorrow will bring. We see what happened to ‘Jacare’ [Souza], for an example, who unfortunately got injured and couldn’t get his chance. [Michael] Bisping got the chance and became champion, and ‘Jacare’ is still going after his opportunity. You never know what will happen tomorrow. An opportunity like this, you say yes and do your best.”

In the event that Thompson does make it the cage at the event in Madison Square Garden in New York City in November, Maia will be looking to fight whoever emerges from the Woodley-Thompson fight as the UFC Welterweight Champion.

“The idea now is to face the winner of this fight,” Alonso said. “Demian deserved a title shot already, and it’s pretty obvious after this fight that he’s the next in line. I don’t see anyone deserving it more than him. We know that deserving is something relative in the sport today, but we have to find a balance between spectacle and sport. You have to aim for long term credibility as any other sports league, and you need to use meritocracy as one of your criteria.

“You don’t change the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals or the Champions League final simply because one team is more popular or less popular. You set objective criteria. After ‘Wonderboy’ vs. Tyron Woodley, Demian is the next in line no matter what happens in future fights. I believe he will have this opportunity. He deserves it.”

UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 12th at the world-famous Madison Square Garden arena in New York City. Join us here at MMANews.com on 11/12 for live coverage of the UFC 205 pay-per-view!

demian-maia

If everything goes as planned, UFC 205 among many other blockbuster fights, will feature UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley making the first defense of his newly won title against clear-cut number one contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, however if Wonderboy isn’t able to make it to the Octagon on November 12th, Demian Maia will apparently be ready to jump on the opportunity.

Maia’s manager, Eduardo Alonso, noted that after his fighters quick win over former interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit, they will be waiting on standby to fill-in for Wonderboy should he get injured in training as fighters often do during the build-up to fights, especially important fights such as once in a lifetime title opportunities.

“A title shot is a unique opportunity you don’t turn down,” Maia’s manager Eduardo Alonso told MMAFighting.com. “But if any injury happens to ‘Wonderboy’ and we get a call, unless Demian is injured, we will take the opportunity because you never know what tomorrow will bring. We see what happened to ‘Jacare’ [Souza], for an example, who unfortunately got injured and couldn’t get his chance. [Michael] Bisping got the chance and became champion, and ‘Jacare’ is still going after his opportunity. You never know what will happen tomorrow. An opportunity like this, you say yes and do your best.”

In the event that Thompson does make it the cage at the event in Madison Square Garden in New York City in November, Maia will be looking to fight whoever emerges from the Woodley-Thompson fight as the UFC Welterweight Champion.

“The idea now is to face the winner of this fight,” Alonso said. “Demian deserved a title shot already, and it’s pretty obvious after this fight that he’s the next in line. I don’t see anyone deserving it more than him. We know that deserving is something relative in the sport today, but we have to find a balance between spectacle and sport. You have to aim for long term credibility as any other sports league, and you need to use meritocracy as one of your criteria.

“You don’t change the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals or the Champions League final simply because one team is more popular or less popular. You set objective criteria. After ‘Wonderboy’ vs. Tyron Woodley, Demian is the next in line no matter what happens in future fights. I believe he will have this opportunity. He deserves it.”

UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 12th at the world-famous Madison Square Garden arena in New York City. Join us here at MMANews.com on 11/12 for live coverage of the UFC 205 pay-per-view!

Tyron Woodley Demands Respect From UFC 205 Presser Boo-Birds

There was little to no love shown for UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley at yesterday’s UFC 205 press conference from Madison Square Garden, as ‘The Chosen One’ was reigned down on with a shower of boos from the New York crowd. Woodley won the welterweight crown by breezing past Robbie Lawler in their main event

The post Tyron Woodley Demands Respect From UFC 205 Presser Boo-Birds appeared first on LowKick MMA.

There was little to no love shown for UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley at yesterday’s UFC 205 press conference from Madison Square Garden, as ‘The Chosen One’ was reigned down on with a shower of boos from the New York crowd.

Woodley won the welterweight crown by breezing past Robbie Lawler in their main event clash at UFC 201 earlier this year, securing his first UFC title in his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.

While receiving the plethora of boos from the crowd, Woodley admitted he had never been boo’d before and called it ‘dope’, but would then go on to tell the crowd that even if they don’t like him they must respect him and call him the welterweight champion of the world:

“You can boo if you want but there’s one thing you have to call me and that’s the welterweight champion of the world,” Woodley said (courtesy of MMA Mania). “I knocked out the most vicious welterweight — the fighter of the year with fights of the year — in record-breaking time. So you have to respect me no matter what.”

Across from Woodley sitting on the opposite side of UFC President Dana White was the man who will challenge ‘The Chosen One’ for his 170-pound throne, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

Thompson has been stopping perennial welterweight contenders left and right, with his two most recent victories over former champ Johny Hendricks and Rory MacDonald propelling him into contendership.

As the UFC 205 card currently sits, Woodley and Thompson will meet in the main event live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City on November 12, 2016.

The post Tyron Woodley Demands Respect From UFC 205 Presser Boo-Birds appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC 205 Press Conference Live Stream

Hot on the heels of last night’s announcement that featherweight champion Conor McGregor would face lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez in the main event of November 12’s UFC 205 from New York, the promotion gets the hype for the huge event rolling with an official pre-fight press conference from the Big Apple tonight. McGregor and Alvarez

The post UFC 205 Press Conference Live Stream appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Hot on the heels of last night’s announcement that featherweight champion Conor McGregor would face lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez in the main event of November 12’s UFC 205 from New York, the promotion gets the hype for the huge event rolling with an official pre-fight press conference from the Big Apple tonight.

McGregor and Alvarez will join fellow title fight participants Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz in addition to other main card fighters like Chris Weidman, Yoel Romero, Donald Cerrone, and Kelvin Gastelum. Watch the presser streaming live at 6 p.m. EST here:

The post UFC 205 Press Conference Live Stream appeared first on LowKick MMA.