Tag: Stephen Wonderboy Thompson

Demian Maia Reveals UFC Offered Him Huge Fight

After their amazing title clash in the co-main event of UFC 205 last week (Saturday November 12, 2016), UFC welterweight champion ‘The Chosen One’ Tyron Woodley and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson may be meeting inside the Octagon for the 170-pound title once again, as their Madison Square Garden brawl ended in a draw. One man who

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After their amazing title clash in the co-main event of UFC 205 last week (Saturday November 12, 2016), UFC welterweight champion ‘The Chosen One’ Tyron Woodley and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson may be meeting inside the Octagon for the 170-pound title once again, as their Madison Square Garden brawl ended in a draw.

One man who will be forced to wait for a shot at welterweight gold of his own is jiu-jitsu whiz Demian Maia, who is currently riding a highly impressive six-fight win streak against the elite of the UFC’s 170-pound weight class. Maia recently spoke to MMA Fighting in Brazil, however, to reveal that the UFC has actually offered him a fight with former champ ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler to pass some time while he waits for the situation with Woodley and Thompson to sort out:

“They offered me Robbie Lawler, actually they offered not me but Eduardo my manager, yesterday. I don’t understand what is happening because Dana said right after the fight that I could — that I was next, I could wait if they do the rematch with Woodley and ‘Wonderboy’ — sit and wait or get another fight. I don’t understand what’s happening. I believe in Dana’s words, also ‘Cowboy’ says he needs to fight me. So first they need to do the rematch.

“Let’s see if they do the rematch or not. If they really want to do the rematch, okay we can think about another fight, but if we need to fight again it would be great to fight on the same card as ‘Wonderboy’ and Woodley, because maybe somebody got hurt and I can jump in or even if nobody gets hurt we are in the same cycle.”

Demian Maia vs. Ryan LaFlare HighlightsOne fight that does interest Maia is a rematch from over six years ago, where the Brazilian suffered a unanimous decision loss to the great Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva for the middleweight title at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Maia would want the bout to be at a catchweight, however, as he does not want a potential loss to ‘The Spider’ to affect what he has going on at welterweight:

“Anderson at a catchweight would be interesting because I think it is a fight people would like to see. That is the most fight that i remember most in my life, after that fight I changed as a fighter and a catchweight would be good because even if I lose I don’t think it would interfere too much in my welterweight division. And ‘Cowboy’ also, Cerrone, he asked to fight me so if he think he can beat me let’s do it. Let’s do it, not now, let’s do it if they don’t book my fight for the title.”

If Maia does indeed decide to wait for his title shot, he may be waiting for a while as UFC featherweight and lightweight champ Conor McGregor has found his way into the conversation for possible welterweight title challengers who are next up for Woodley. With Thompson also in the mix alongside Maia, the UFC’s 170-pound title picture is beginning to shape up rather interestingly.

Who do you think is next in line for a shot at welterweight gold?

You can check out Maia’s full interview with MMA Fighting here:

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Stephen Thompson ‘Definitely’ Wants Tyron Woodley Rematch Next

UFC 205 produced some of the most entertaining fights that combat sports fans have had the pleasure of witnessing in quite some time, as three title fights rounded out the historic card form Madison Square Garden in New York City. In the co-main event of the evening the UFC’s welterweight title would be on the

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UFC 205 produced some of the most entertaining fights that combat sports fans have had the pleasure of witnessing in quite some time, as three title fights rounded out the historic card form Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In the co-main event of the evening the UFC’s welterweight title would be on the line as champion Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley would look to make his first career title defense against elite striker Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. The 170-pound title contest proved to be one of the most entertaining bouts of the year, where Woodley nearly ended the fight on multiple occasions, however, Thompson’s heart and will would prevail to see the contest go the distance.

After much confusion from the judges and their score card readings, the contest was declared a draw and ‘The Chose One’ would remain the division’s champion for the time being. During the post-fight press conference following the event’s conclusion, ‘Wonderboy’ stated that although the result was disappointing he is still looking forward to sharing the Octagon with Woodley once again:

“It was better than what it was in the beginning. Having him win the title and then they came back and said it was a draw. I take it,” Thompson said (courtesy of FOX Sports). “It’s not a win, obviously, so it’s definitely disappointing but hopefully we can do it again.

“Hopefully we can get this fight happening again. Getting up, getting ‘Fight of the Night’ that was exciting, I know the fans loved it.”

In the fourth round of the contest Woodley landed a vicious overhand right that put Thompson on the mat, to which ‘The Chosen One’ would eventually lock in a deep guillotine choke that seemed to spell the end for ‘Wonderboy’. Thompson would instead fight his way out of the hold, closing out the round in top position while reigning down a few shots before the closing horn.

Adam Hunger for USA TODAY Sports
Adam Hunger for USA TODAY Sports

Despite almost being finished in the fourth round by Woodley, Thompson believes he still took home the second, third, and fifth rounds to win the contest:

“Ended up getting my head out and threw a few shots right after that and the bell rung. In the beginning, (the choke) was very close, yes.”

“I thought I pulled it out in the last round just by out pointing him,” Thompson said. “He definitely took the first round. He took the first round that was it. Busted me up with a few good elbows, few good shots, I was a little hesitant during this fight.

“I knew he liked to explode in and throw that big right hand. Hit him with a few jabs. I knew how strong he was in the clinch position, which led me to be a little more hesitant closing the gap and I shouldn’t have done that. I should have let it all out.”

Now that the dust has settled on the controversial majority draw decision, Thompson is ready to jump back inside the Octagon for round six with Woodley in effort to capture his first career UFC title:

“I think the fans and everybody were really excited. I think they were entertained,” Thompson said. “Definitely want to do that again.”

While Thompson may want to get his rematch at the welterweight title next, recent circumstances have now landed UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor as a possible opponent for Woodley next. With Demian Maia also waiting in the wings for his title opportunity, will ‘Wonderboy’ get his wish and get the immediate rematch with ‘The Chosen One’?

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Tyron Woodley Warns Conor McGregor To Stay Out Of His Division

It’s no secret UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor loves making history. McGregor owns the fastest knockout in UFC title fight history with his UFC 194 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo last December, and is attempting to be the first dual-weight champion in the promotion’s history when the 145-pound champ challenges Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight

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It’s no secret UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor loves making history.

McGregor owns the fastest knockout in UFC title fight history with his UFC 194 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo last December, and is attempting to be the first dual-weight champion in the promotion’s history when the 145-pound champ challenges Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight throne in the main event of UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden.

The Irishman attempted this once before as he was scheduled to meet then-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC 196 under the same circumstances, but the Brazilian was forced to pull out of the contest with a broken foot. Nate Diaz would swoop in to save the day and would go on to submit ‘The Notorious One’ in the second round via rear-naked choke, handing McGregor his first loss in his UFC career.

During the lead-up to his scheduled match-up with ‘RDA’, however, McGregor also teased a possible attempt at taking the UFC’s 170-pound title as well, stating he liked his chances against then-champion ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler.

Today the title no longer rests on Lawler’s shoulders, but instead on the man’s who took ‘Ruthless’ out with a vicious overhand right in the first round of their title clash at UFC 201, Tyron Woodley. Woodley recently spoke to Chris Taylor of BJ Penn.com, stating that if McGregor is eying a fight with himself down the line that it wouldn’t be the best decision for his health:

WoodleyKO'edLawler2

“Well first off I think Conor is a smart individual and he knows that fighting me is not going to be good for his health,” Woodley said. “I just do not really see him wanting that fight. I see him relinquishing his 145-pound belt and then maybe defending his title a few times at lightweight. Maybe he does a super-fight here or there. There has been talks of him fighting Floyd Mayweather in boxing.”

“So he is a smart business guy and so I do not think he is going to want to come up and fight a guy who is going to outsize him,” Woodley said. “Being 170 and fighting 170 is two different things. I walk around at 200. Giving up that 30-pounds. Plus he is not going to have a boxing advantage. He is definitely not going to have a wrestling advantage. He is definitely not going to have a strength advantage. And it would be a lopsided display of power.”

Before any talk of a potential McGregor vs. Woodley welterweight title fight can begin, however, the pair of champions have some big fights ahead of themselves in the near future. Woodley will be making his first career title defense against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in the co-main event of UFC 205, followed by McGregor and Alvarez closing out the historical show.

UFC 205 goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City on November 12, 2016.

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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,

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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.

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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

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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.

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Stephen Thompson’s Dad Goes After Tyron Woodley On Facebook

According to the champ himself, UFC welterweight title-holder Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley will defend his 170-pound throne against the ‘Wonderboy’ Stephen Thompson. Shortly after taking the title from ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 this past July, Woodley immediately began to campaign for a massive ‘money fight’ with welterweight legends such as Nick Diaz

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According to the champ himself, UFC welterweight title-holder Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley will defend his 170-pound throne against the ‘Wonderboy’ Stephen Thompson.

Shortly after taking the title from ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 this past July, Woodley immediately began to campaign for a massive ‘money fight’ with welterweight legends such as Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre.

‘Wonderboy’ immediately threw his name in the hat for a shot at the new champion’s title, but was shut down by Woodley who stated that Thompson should fight Lawler instead since he was so sure he would win.

Now it seems that the champ has decided to change his mind and give the No. 2-ranked 170-pounder a shot at the gold, but not without taking a few shots at his counterpart as well.

Woodley stated earlier this week that he doesn’t respect Thompson as a man. ‘The Chosen One’ also claims that ‘Wonderboy’ and his team knew about the fight six weeks before it’s announcement:

“He knows that we committed to this fight almost six weeks ago and for him to charade around like I’m scared to fight him, retweeting and liking all these posts.

“For someone to desperately need to that affirmation from the fans and for people to like him, like I can’t respect that,” Woodley said.

‘Wonderboy’s’ father, Ray Thompson, took to Facebook to counter Woodley’s claims, stating that the Thompson camp didn’t find out about the fight until Woodley made the announcement on FS1:

Woodley then fired some shots at Thompson through social media himself, claiming ‘Wonderboy’s’ father is fighting his battles for him:

Pappa Thompson would have the last words however, as he stated that while he and Woodley argued over social media, his son was deep in preparation for their upcoming title clash:

Woodley will defend his title against ‘Wonderboy’ at UFC 205 live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City on November 12, 2016.

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