Tag: Stephen Wonderboy Thompson

‘Wonderboy’ Thompson On Tyron Woodley: Is This Guy Running From Me?

The UFC’s welterweight division is as scrambled as any other division in the promotion today, as newly crowned 170-pound champ Tyron Woodley is calling for ‘money fights’ against Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz following his first round obliteration over former champion Robbie Lawler this past Saturday night (July 30, 2016). One man left waiting in the […]

The post ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson On Tyron Woodley: Is This Guy Running From Me? appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The UFC’s welterweight division is as scrambled as any other division in the promotion today, as newly crowned 170-pound champ Tyron Woodley is calling for ‘money fights’ against Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz following his first round obliteration over former champion Robbie Lawler this past Saturday night (July 30, 2016).

One man left waiting in the dust amongst Woodley’s campaign for a big payday is No. 1-ranked Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, who feels he has earned his shot at welterweight gold after defeating both former champion Johny Hendricks and top contender Rory MacDonald in dominating fashion.

WonderboyHendricks1In a recent interview with FOX Sports, ‘Wonderboy’ shared his thoughts on ‘The Chosen One’s’ current quest for a matchup with Diaz or ‘GSP’:

“What’s going through my mind is ‘what is this guy talking about?’” Thompson said. “I mean he just got the title and he’s already talking about a money fight and trying to choose his opponents.

It just doesn’t make sense for him to win the title and then start asking to face guys who haven’t fought in over a year or even three years.

Fight the guy who deserves it. Fight the guy standing right in front of you. Fight the guy who is the legit No. 1 contender. That’s me.”

When asked if he believes Woodley could be potentially running from him, Thompson had this to say:

“It’s starting to get that way, it’s starting to get that feeling,” Thompson said. “At first, I didn’t think so, I thought he just wanted the big payday, the big money, but when I go back and look at the facts — the fact is I’m on a seven-fight winning streak.

He was ranked No. 4 and they gave him the title shot. I’ve cleaned out the division for him. It just doesn’t make sense why he wouldn’t face me, at least one time against the No. 1 contender without having to go out and pick these guys who haven’t fought.

When I go back and look at the facts, I’m thinking to myself — is this guy running from me? I don’t know.

I know he’s not scared of any opponent. I don’t think he is, but I would like to get in his head and see what he’s thinking. Why does he think he can do this? It’s just a fact.”

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 30: Tyron Woodley celebrates his knockout victory over Robbie Lawler in their welterweight championship bout during the UFC 201 event on July 30, 2016 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – JULY 30: Tyron Woodley celebrates his knockout victory over Robbie Lawler in their welterweight championship bout during the UFC 201 event on July 30, 2016 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Thompson claims Woodley got an opportunity at the title even though some may not have thought he deserved it, he also states that the new champion is taking an opportunity away from him that he’s earned after taking out the cream of the crop at 170 pounds:

“This is my chance and he’s just taking it away from me,” Thompson said. “The UFC and Robbie gave him his chance even though a lot of people didn’t think he deserved it.

Now that he is (the champion), why can’t he give the rightful guy his chance?

For him to just get the belt and start asking for money fights? Come on, man. You need to defend the title one or two times or three times or maybe four times like Robbie before you’d ask for a really big money fight.

You just get it and then asking for it? I was kind of laughing in my head like what is this guy talking about?”

Until UFC brass tells him otherwise, Thompson is preparing for a showdown with Woodley and with the ideal location of Madison Square Garden in mind. If ‘Wonderboy’ does get his long awaited shot at UFC gold, he believes he can put the newly-crowned welterweight champion’s lights out with a bang:

“Tyron’s the guy I’m facing. That’s what I’m prepared for mentally until the UFC says otherwise,” Thompson said.

“I’ve got a great management team, Paradigm Management, and they know what I want and they are working and supporting me to make that happen.

“Until we get anything, I’m preparing for Tyron. Madison Square Garden’s where it’s going to be at. That’s a big fight.

He’s looking for money. That’s going to be probably the biggest card of the year. I think we could put some butts in the seats.”

I can put him to sleep,” Thompson said. “I’ve shown that with all my fights. I know I can put him to sleep. We face off, he’s going to get the best Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson the UFC has ever seen.”

Rory MacDonald vs Stephen Thompson‘Wonderboy’s’ body count during his UFC run has been quite the eyebrow raiser and it’s hard to deny the undefeated kickboxing stud a shot at the welterweight crown, however, with the possibility of a ‘GSP’ or Diaz return to Octagon it certainly puts a strain on his chances.

The post ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson On Tyron Woodley: Is This Guy Running From Me? appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Stephen Thompson Guarantees He’s Fighting Tyron Woodley Next

Top-ranked UFC welterweight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson may be known as one of the nicest fighters in MMA, but after newly crowned welterweight champion Tyron Woodley snubbed him for a title shot in the aftermath of knockout win over Robbie Lawler in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 201, he may be starting to believe a different […]

The post Stephen Thompson Guarantees He’s Fighting Tyron Woodley Next appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Top-ranked UFC welterweight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson may be known as one of the nicest fighters in MMA, but after newly crowned welterweight champion Tyron Woodley snubbed him for a title shot in the aftermath of knockout win over Robbie Lawler in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 201, he may be starting to believe a different approach is necessary.

When questioned by Thompson on the UFC 201 post-fight show, Woodley eschewed with ‘Wonderboy’ in favor of a ‘big money fight’ with the returning Nick Diaz or all-time great former champ Georges St-Pierre, who quickly accepted the fight.

On a seven-fight win streak, he clear top contender spoke up for his case during an appearance on today’s edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, describing his shock at Woodley’s insistence to call his own shots minutes after winning the belt:

“In my head I was like, really, you’re kidding me, right, that he wouldn’t give me this shot? Yeah, he went out there, he defeated Robbie Lawler, but you know, he took this fight, and a lot of people didn’t think he deserved it in the first place, but just seconds after winning that title, already choosing his fights? I mean, come on. Who gets that? Who really gets to do that. I mean, you’re starting to see that a lot more. It’s almost like, do the rankings really count? Do they really matter?”

StephenThompsonPresser

Thompson thinks Woodley should at least defend his title before calling out big names:

“And I was kind of upset for him to say that just because, he knows I’m the No. 1 guy. He knows I’ve been working really hard. You know, I’m on a seven-fight winning streak. But to pick some, I think you have to defend the title at least once before you can start picking your shot.”

Questioned about his belief if Woodley was ducking him, Thompson responded that he would be fighting “The Chosen One” at Madison Square Garden regardless of what the champ wants:

“I don’t know. I don’t think he’s scared of me, but it almost seems like he just doesn’t want to fight me, he just doesn’t want to step in the ring. I don’t know if he thinks it’s a bad match-up, but no matter what, I’m fighting this guy, I’m fighting Tyron. I’m fighting Tyron Woodley, and it’s gonna be at Madison Square Garden; no ifs, ands, or buts, come on guys, come on UFC, and come on Tyron. You gotta give it to me, man.”

If he were not to get the shot, however, ‘Wonderboy’ expressed his trepidation at not getting the next title fight, which is why the normally reserved phenom suddenly became so vocal today:

“No. If they don’t give this to me, then something is really wrong. It is disappointing to hear that, and it does worry me a little bit, but in my head, I’m getting the shot. I don’t care. I gotta put my foot down, man, I gotta tell everybody how I’m feeling, and as of right now, I’m very disappointed that he wouldn’t take it.”

USATSI_9413968_168382968_lowres

Thompson was willing to give Woodley credit for the huge shot he landed on Lawler, but he also believes that wasn’t the surging version of Lawler we’d grown accustomed to seeing over the past three years:

“I mean, yes he did land that big one punch, but you know, I don’t know man, it wasn’t enough for me. He did land that one punch, but we all know that wasn’t the same Robbie. Just going out there, looking at the fight, that was the Robbie we all expected, and I think he knows that.”

He named several reasons why we may not have seen the true “Ruthless,” but at the end of the day, Thompson insists something was just off with the former champ, and he may not have been motivated:

“There could be a lot of different reasons why we didn’t see the same Robbie Lawler, but it wasn’t him.”

USATSI_9100793_168382968_lowres

After repeatedly predicting Lawler would win and then move on to throw down in an exciting war with ‘Wonderboy,’ Thompson admitted he was disappointed at not being the one to dethrone “Ruthless.” He gave some more thinly veiled credit before the new champ before telling him to stop calling out aging legends, who, despite being some of the most recognizable names in MMA, hadn’t won a fight in nearly eight years combined:

“Yeah, I was. I was disappointed because he was the guy I wanted to beat. I wanted to be the guy to take him out. But hat’s off to Tyron, he beat me to it. But he is the champ and I am the No. 1 contender, stop calling people out who haven’t fought in a year or three years. Fight the guy who’s ready, man, fight the guy’s who earned it this year, who’s beat the No. 1, beat the No. 2, and take on me, man. That’s what I got to say to him. I just think it’s kinda crap that he won’t take it.”

The post Stephen Thompson Guarantees He’s Fighting Tyron Woodley Next appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Should Georges St. Pierre Really Come Back To MMA?

It’s been nearly three years since we’ve seen Georges St. Pierre compete inside the Octagon and dominate the 170-pound division he once ruled, as his last bout saw him taking home a controversial split decision win over Johnny Hendricks at UFC 167 back in November of 2013. Many people watching the five round war between

The post Should Georges St. Pierre Really Come Back To MMA? appeared first on LowKick MMA.

It’s been nearly three years since we’ve seen Georges St. Pierre compete inside the Octagon and dominate the 170-pound division he once ruled, as his last bout saw him taking home a controversial split decision win over Johnny Hendricks at UFC 167 back in November of 2013.

Many people watching the five round war between ‘GSP’ and Hendricks gave the winning nod to ‘Big Rig’, however, the Vegas judges scorecards saw it otherwise and handed the Canadian his ninth straight successful title defense in five years.

During the time of their title bout clash Hendricks was viewed as the ‘next generation’ of fighter, as his impressive combination of elite wrestling ability and vicious knockout power concocted perhaps the perfect formula to defeat the longtime reigning Canadian champion.

Johny Hendricks..Now Hendricks, who was once a longtime title contender, finds himself outside of the top five welterweight rankings and coming off a first round knockout loss to current title contender hopeful Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

With speculation running rampant surrounding the possibility of a return to action for ‘GSP’, is now the best time for the 35-year-old to make his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon? If ‘GSP’ had a difficult enough time hanging in their with Hendricks back in 2013, how do you assume he’ll fare with the evolved athletes that surround the stacked 170-pound division?

The welterweight division is currently ran by the hard-hitting ‘Ruthless One’ Robbie Lawler, who has been on a tear since winning the title back in 2014.

Lawler has engaged is some absolute wars in his past two title defenses, including the 2015 bloodbath that took home Fight Of The Year honors in which ‘Ruthless’ downed challenger Rory MacDonald in the fifth round, by shattering the Canadian’s nose.

Robbie Lawler 1That spectacular performance would be followed up by yet another Fight Of The Year candidate to kick-off 2016, as Lawler would put on an absolute spectacle of a contest against Carlos Condit at UFC 195 in January. The back-and-forth bout would ultimately end in a successful title defense for Lawler, who took home the better end of a split decision.

Lawler is an incredibly gritty and powerful fighter who is prepared to bite down on his mouthpiece and throw everything he has at you, taking everything you have for him in the process.

‘GSP’s’ best hope for victory against Lawler would be to simply take down the champion and grind out a decision win as he has done countless times before in his storied career, however, Lawler is incredibly difficult to be taken down and one small mistake that the champion capitalizes on could mean the end of St.Pierre’s twelve-fight win streak.

WonderboyTKOSHendricks2Sitting just under Lawler in the welterweight rankings is the surging ‘Wonderboy’, who many believe has the best chance to put an abrupt end to Ruthless’ violent title reign. ‘Wonderboy’ possesses some of the most dynamic and explosive striking the 170-pound division has ever seen, while remaining extremely technical at the same time given his extensive and impressive undefeated kickboxing career.

If ‘GSP’ were to step into the Octagon with Thompson today, the Canadian would definitely be faced with some problems as he has never competed against a striker of Thompson’s caliber before.

Thompson is coming off of a completely dominating unanimous decision performance over former title challenger MacDonald, who just so happens to train extremely close alongside St.Pierre at Tristar Gym in Montreal.

St. Pierre’s best days are most likely certainly long behind him, and if the Canadian does wish to make a blockbuster return to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), he may not get the glorified result he is hoping for against the evolved upper echelon in the welterweight class.

 

The post Should Georges St. Pierre Really Come Back To MMA? appeared first on LowKick MMA.

‘Wonderboy’ Says He Thinks He Can Knock Out Robbie Lawler

Coming off of his dominant win over Rory MacDonald at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 89 event in Ottawa, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson is certain that he’s next in line for a crack at the 170-pound title. Before ‘Wonderboy’ can get his shot, however, he has to wait and see just who will be holding the

The post ‘Wonderboy’ Says He Thinks He Can Knock Out Robbie Lawler appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Coming off of his dominant win over Rory MacDonald at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 89 event in Ottawa, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson is certain that he’s next in line for a crack at the 170-pound title.

Before ‘Wonderboy’ can get his shot, however, he has to wait and see just who will be holding the welterweight crown, as current champion Robbie Lawler is set to battle it out for the strap with No. 3-ranked Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC 201.

Thompson told FOX Sports that he expects Lawler to remain the 170-pound champion when it’s all said and done in Atlanta:

“Just from what I’ve seen in the past from both fighters, Robbie Lawler gets stronger as the fight goes on.

He breaks a lot of guys mentally that way. When guys are starting to get tired, Robbie Lawler’s just picking it up. Tyron’s the opposite of that,” Thompson said.

Hopefully he’s (Woodley) worked on his cardio, but in the past he slows down as the fight gets longer. He goes out very hard in the first round, very explosive in the first round, but if Robbie Lawler gets past that first round, which I believe he will, I think he’s coming away with a win, possibly a knockout.”

While Thompson isn’t too confident in Woodley’s ability to get the job done against Lawler, ‘Wonderboy’ is determined to be the one to put an end to ‘The Ruthless One’s’ title reign:

“I believe I can (knock him out),” Thompson said. “I believed I could knock out Rory MacDonald, Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger, and sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t, but I know I can knock these guys out.

It definitely puts a smile on my face that people think I might be a favorite in that fight,” Thompson said.

“I think people are starting to see the skills I have, the karate style that I use, and hopefully we’ll get more people out there studying and getting into karate as well. It does put a smile on my face.”

‘Wonderboy’ is one of the most dynamic strikers we’ve ever seen in the sport, due in large part to his impressive 57-0 kickboxing career, and he believes he has everything it takes to de-throne ‘Ruthless’:

“I think I am the better striker. He’s the type of guy that stands in front of you, he’s very, very tough.

I believe he’s slower than Rory MacDonald. I believe I’m faster than him. The speed is going to be tough for him, and I think the angles are going to be tough for him.

But he’s a champion, he’s going to be coming with his ‘A’ game. I need to be ready for the best Robbie Lawler in the world.”

While Lawler and Woodley slug it out at UFC 201 in the Phillips Arena, Thompson says he wouldn’t mind taking a trip to Georgia to witness the title bout firsthand:

“I want to be there,” Thompson said. “If not there, hopefully I’ll be in the studio analyzing the fight.”

UFC 201 takes place live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on July 30, 2016.

The post ‘Wonderboy’ Says He Thinks He Can Knock Out Robbie Lawler appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC Rankings Update: ‘Wonderboy’ Tops Welterweight List

Following what was a crazy night at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa this past Saturday (June 18, 2016), some big moves have been made to the 170-pound rankings following a pair of electrifying welterweight contests. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson bested former title challenger Rory MacDonald in their main event contest, after five rounds of what turned

The post UFC Rankings Update: ‘Wonderboy’ Tops Welterweight List appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Following what was a crazy night at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa this past Saturday (June 18, 2016), some big moves have been made to the 170-pound rankings following a pair of electrifying welterweight contests.

Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson bested former title challenger Rory MacDonald in their main event contest, after five rounds of what turned out to be a beautiful technical war between the two mixed martial artists, by taking home a unanimous decision win over ‘The Red King’ in his home country of Canada. The one-sided victory boosted Thompson past MacDonald into the top spot on the 170-pound rankings. Heading into his murky contract negotiations, MacDonald sits at the No. 2 spot following two losses to the champion and top-ranked combatant.

Also at 170 pounds, Demian Maia moved up to the No. 3 spot without fighting, tying title contender Tyron Woodley.

In the co-main event of the evening, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone made some noise of his own in the welterweight division even though he typically competes in the deeply talented pool that is the UFC 155-pound weight class, by appearing on the 170-pound rankings after knocking out Patrick Cote in the third round of their bout in Ottawa. The dominant win saw Cerrone debut at No. 14, pushing Thiago Alves down to No. 15.

The next biggest move of significance was Joanne Calderwood’s rise up the women’s strawweight rankings following her brutal third-round TKO of former title contender Valerie Letourneau. Calderwood skyrocketed five spots up the 115-pound ranks to No.7 for the win, after which she declared she was ‘broke as hell’ and would have to get a job in order to continue fighting.

You can check out the full updated rankings in their entirety courtesy of UFC.com right here:

POUND-FOR-POUND
1 Jon Jones
2 Demetrious Johnson
3 Dominick Cruz
4 Robbie Lawler
5 Rafael Dos Anjos
6 Conor McGregor
7 Daniel Cormier
8 Jose Aldo
9 Michael Bisping
10 Frankie Edgar
11 Stipe Miocic
12 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
13 Luke Rockhold
14 Chris Weidman
15 Fabricio Werdum

FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 Henry Cejudo
3 Jussier Formiga
4 Kyoji Horiguchi
5 Ian McCall
6 John Moraga
7 Zach Makovsky
8 Wilson Reis
9 Ali Bagautinov +1
10 Dustin Ortiz -1
11 Justin Scoggins
12 Louis Smolka
13 Ray Borg
14 Sergio Pettis
15 Ben Nguyen

BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Dominick Cruz
1 TJ Dillashaw
2 Urijah Faber
3 Raphael Assuncao
4 Bryan Caraway
5 Michael McDonald
6 Aljamain Sterling
7 Cody Garbrandt
8 John Lineker
9 John Dodson -1
10 Thomas Almeida
11 Takeya Mizugaki
12 Frankie Saenz
13 Johnny Eduardo
14 Jimmie Rivera
15 Eddie Wineland

FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Conor McGregor
1 Jose Aldo
2 Frankie Edgar
3 Max Holloway
4 Chad Mendes
5 Ricardo Lamas
6 Cub Swanson
7 Charles Oliveira
8 Jeremy Stephens
9 Dennis Bermudez
10 Brian Ortega
11 Hacran Dias
12 Darren Elkins
13 Yair Rodriguez
14 Tatsuya Kawajiri
15 Mirsad Bektic

LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Rafael Dos Anjos
1 Khabib Nurmagomedov
2 Eddie Alvarez
3 Tony Ferguson
4 Donald Cerrone
5 Nate Diaz
6 Edson Barboza
7 Anthony Pettis
8 Michael Johnson
9 Dustin Poirier
10 Michael Chiesa
11 Beneil Dariush
12 Al Iaquinta
13 Evan Dunham +1
14 Rashid Magomedov -1
15 Francisco Trinaldo

WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Robbie Lawler
1 Stephen Thompson +1
2 Rory MacDonald -1
3 Tyron Woodley
3 Demian Maia +1
5 Carlos Condit
6 Johny Hendricks
7 Neil Magny
8 Matt Brown
9 Rick Story +1
9 Dong Hyun Kim
11 Gunnar Nelson
12 Kelvin Gastelum
13 Tarec Saffiedine
14 Donald Cerrone *NR
15 Thiago Alves -1

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Michael Bisping
1 Luke Rockhold
2 Chris Weidman
3 Jacare Souza
4 Vitor Belfort
5 Anderson Silva
6 Robert Whittaker
7 Lyoto Machida
8 Gegard Mousasi
9 Uriah Hall
10 Derek Brunson +1
11 Tim Kennedy -1
12 Thales Leites
13 Dan Henderson
14 Rafael Natal
15 Thiago Santos -1

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Daniel Cormier
1 Jon Jones (Interim Champion)
2 Anthony Johnson
3 Glover Teixeira
4 Alexander Gustafsson
5 Ryan Bader
6 Ovince Saint Preux
7 Mauricio Rua
8 Rashad Evans
9 Jimi Manuwa
10 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
11 Nikita Krylov
12 Corey Anderson
13 Ilir Latifi
14 Patrick Cummins
15 Gian Villante

HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Stipe Miocic
1 Fabricio Werdum
2 Cain Velasquez
3 Alistair Overeem
4 Junior Dos Santos
5 Ben Rothwell
6 Andrei Arlovski
7 Travis Browne
8 Mark Hunt
9 Josh Barnett
10 Roy Nelson
11 Frank Mir +1
12 Derrick Lewis -1
13 Stefan Struve
14 Ruslan Magomedov
15 Alexey Oliynyk

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
1 Claudia Gadelha
2 Carla Esparza
3 Rose Namajunas
4 Tecia Torres
5 Karolina Kowalkiewicz +1
6 Jessica Andrade +1
7 Joanne Calderwood +5
8 Maryna Moroz
9 Valerie Letourneau -4
10 Paige VanZant -1
11 Michelle Waterson
12 Jessica Penne -2
13 Randa Markos +1
14 Jessica Aguilar -1
15 Juliana Lima

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Miesha Tate
1 Holly Holm
2 Ronda Rousey
3 Cat Zingano
4 Amanda Nunes
5 Julianna Pena
6 Sara McMann
7 Valentina Shevchenko
8 Liz Carmouche
9 Raquel Pennington
10 Jessica Eye
11 Bethe Correia
12 Germaine de Randamie
13 Lauren Murphy
14 Ashlee Evans-Smith
15 Marion Reneau

 

The post UFC Rankings Update: ‘Wonderboy’ Tops Welterweight List appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC Fight Night 89 Main Card Breakdown & Preview

The UFC is back in Canada tomorrow night (June 18, 2016) for UFC Fight Night 89, and the huge night of fights is headlined by hometown hero, and No. 1-ranked welterweight in the world, Rory MacDonald and No. 2-ranked Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. The card is also co-main evented by Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and Patrick Cote

The post UFC Fight Night 89 Main Card Breakdown & Preview appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The UFC is back in Canada tomorrow night (June 18, 2016) for UFC Fight Night 89, and the huge night of fights is headlined by hometown hero, and No. 1-ranked welterweight in the world, Rory MacDonald and No. 2-ranked Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

The card is also co-main evented by Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and Patrick Cote in a welterweight bout, granted Cerrone typically competes in the 155-pound division.

Aside from the two colossal bouts set to headline the night of fights in Ottawa, theres plenty of more action fight fans seem to be overlooking that we’re going to look into today. Here is an in-depth look at the UFC Fight Night 89 main card:

LetourneouFight 1: Valerie Letourneau vs Joanne Calderwood (Women’s Flyweight Bout)

Set to kick off the night is the first ever women’s flyweight bout in UFC history, when No. 5-ranked women’s starawweight Valerie Letourneau takes on No. 12-ranked Joanne Calderwood.

Letourneau (8-4) is coming off of a 115-pound title bout defeat to current champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 193, via unanimous decision in the night’s co-main event.

The American Top Team (ATT) product is a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Bruno Fernandes, and also possesses some of the best striking in the women’s 115-pound division.

Calderwood (10-1) is an impressive prospect out of Scotland, being the country’s first female mixed martial artist, who is also alumni from The Ultimate Fighter 20 (TUF 20) in which she made it as far as the quarterfinals of the tournament.

‘JoJo’ has only lost one bout in her professional career, and is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Cortney Casey at UFC Fight Night 72 nearly a year ago in July. Calderwood holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and is a Muay Thai specialist having held four titles in the sport.

Both women possess incredible standup skills and have proven to be fairly even on the ground, however, Letourneau is ranked as high as a -190 favorite to win the bout and has faced far greater competition throughout her career. Expect a standup brawl from these two women when they step inside the Octagon.

ThibaultFight 2: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs Thibault Gouti (Lightweight)

Next up is a lightweight bout between young UFC veteran Olivier Aubin-Mercier, and a man who comes off his first career loss in Thibault Gouti.

Mercier (7-2) has won three of his last five career UFC bouts, however, his last Octagon appearance in January saw him dropping a unanimous decision bout to Carlos Diego Ferreira at UFC on FOX 18.

‘The Quebec Kid’ is extremely talented on the ground as he holds a black belt in Judo to go along with a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Seven of Mercier’s eight career victories have come via submission, giving him the clear edge in the ground game department.

Gouti (11-1) comes off of the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career, when he was defeated by Teemu Packalen via rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night 84 in the first round.

The 29-year-old Frenchman is no slouch on the ground himself, however, as six of his eleven career victories have come via submission.

Mercier is a highly skilled ground practitioner and could dictate the majority of the fight should it go to the ground, which is most likely why he is ranked as much as a -450 favorite to win the bout.

O'ConnellFight 3: Steve Bosse vs Sean O’Connell (Light Heavyweight)

The third bout slated for the main card is set to go down in the 205-pound division, when Steve ‘The Boss’ Bosse takes on Sean ‘The Real OC’ O’Connell.

Bosse (11-2) comes off of a first round knockout victory over James Te-Huna at UFC Fight Night 85 in his second UFC bout, once again utilizing his vicious striking power.

‘The Boss’ possesses game changing power in his hands, holding nine knockout wins of his eleven career victories.

O’Connell (17-7) has won two of his last four bouts inside the Octagon, including most recently a devastating knockout loss to the heavy handed Illir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 81 this past January.

‘The Real OC’ is an exciting fighter who isn’t afraid to stand and bang with any man in the 205-divison, and has even taken home Fight of the Night honors two times in his two-year UFC career.

Bosse is as much as a -160 favorite to walk away with the win Saturday night, and it’s most likely due in large part to the Canadian’s vicious knockout power.

CowboyFight 4: Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone vs Patrick Cote (Welterweight) 

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone is making his second appearance in the UFC’s 170-pound division, to take on former middleweight title-challenger Patrick Cote in the evenings co-main event.

Cerrone (29-7-1) has only lost once in his last three years inside the Octagon, with his last bout resulting in a first round submission victory over Alex Oliveira in his welterweight debut.

‘Cowboy’ is an excellent striker due in large part to his extensive kickboxing and Muay Thai background, and also holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Cote (23-9) is on a three-fight win streak as his only loss in four years came in a unanimous decision loss to Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. ‘The Predator’ is an extremely well rounded fighter as well, as he holds black belts in Muay Thai, Judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

These two men are pretty evenly matched up and will most likely put on a very exciting contest, however, ‘Cowboy’ is as much as a -175 favorite to emerge victorious.

MacDonaldRory MacDonald vs Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson (Welterweight)

The main of event of the evening is headlined by No. 1-ranked Rory MacDonald and No. 2-ranked Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson for a possible shot at the 170-pound title.

MacDonald (18-3) is coming off a one-year-layoff from the sport after engaging in a bloody title bout brawl with Robbie Lawler back at UFC 189 last July.

The Tristar Gym product is an extremely well rounded mixed martial artist who shows some incredibly technical striking, and possessing a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under David Lea.

Thompson (12-1) is currently on a six-fight win streak since suffering his first career loss to Matt Brown in 2012, with his most recent victory saw ‘Wonderboy’ finishing former 170-pound champion Johnny Hendricks in their bout at UFC Fight Night 82.

‘Wonderboy’ is one of the UFC’s most dynamic and feared strikers due to his impressive kickboxing career, that included fifty-seven wins in route to an undefeated record.

Due to the undeniably elite striking level of both men, oddsmakers results have revealed to be scattered on who they believe will emerge victorious in the night’s main event.

UFC Fight Night 89 is live on FS1 tomorrow (June 18, 2016) and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Rory MacDonald and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6:45 p.m. ET)

Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 2, 8:30 p.m. ET)

Main Card (FOX Sports 1, 10:30 p.m. ET)

The post UFC Fight Night 89 Main Card Breakdown & Preview appeared first on LowKick MMA.