Stephen Wonderboy Thompson | UFC Betting Sites

‘Wonderboy’ Thompson Isn’t Looking To Knock Out MacDonald Saturday

UFC Fight Night 89 is live this weekend (June 18, 2016) from Ottawa, Canada and is headlined by the cream of the crop in the welterweight division, when No. 1-ranked Rory MacDonald takes on No. 2-ranked Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Thompson is coming off of a first round TKO victory over former 170-pound champion Johnny Hendricks, which

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Thompson is coming off of a first round TKO victory over former 170-pound champion Johnny Hendricks, which he initially believed was enough to earn him title contender-ship.

That proved not to be the case, as the UFC instead chose No. 3-ranked Tyron Woodley to take on champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 201.

Now that MacDonald and Thompson sit atop the welterweight rankings ‘Wonderboy’ is convinced that no matter who wins the perennial 170-pound contest, the winner has to be given the next shot at UFC gold:

“Win or lose, me or Rory, they have to give it to us,” he said (Courtesy of MMAJunkie). “I understand he fought for the title back in July, but he’s been at the top of the game for a long time.”

“With a good win over Rory, they have to give it to me. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

MacDonald has challenged for the title once before as well as having been amongst the elite of the elite in the talented pool that is the welterweight class, a fact Thompson is sure not to overlook when they tangle this weekend:

“I’m prepared for the best Rory, especially after a loss,” Thompson said. “I became the fighter that I am after my loss to Matt Brown. Mentally, I want to be prepared for the best.

If I’m thinking he may not feel this way or may not be the same after that fight with Lawler, I don’t like to think that. I think I’m facing the toughest Rory MacDonald on Saturday. To me, I don’t think it affects him.”

“(MacDonald) is the best well-rounded fighter I’ve faced so far,” Thompson said. “Fairly similar to St-Pierre. My goal is to keep it standing on my feet, obviously.

I would not want to go to the ground with this guy. He’s the No. 1 contender and been at the top of the game for a long time for a good reason. He’s a good martial artist.”

It was also revealed that MacDonald has brought in karate champion Raymond Daniels to mimic Thompson’s style ahead of their clash:

“Rory is bringing him in to get used to the movement. It is a different movement, and it is very frustrating if you’ve never been standing in front of somebody with that type of movement.”

While Thompson would love to go in there and finish the job early against MacDonald Saturday night, ‘Wonderboy’ is fully prepared to go five rounds with ‘The Red King’ as opposed to fully committing to a knockout:

“I always go out there and prepare for a five, five-minute round war,” Thompson said. “Mentally, that’s just how I look at it. I never go out there looking for the knockout.

I’ve done that in the past in kickboxing and worn myself out trying. Sometimes, that can break people mentally.

You go out there looking for the knockout and it doesn’t happen? I just let it happen. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. You can’t go out there looking for it, because you’ll wear yourself out trying.”

MacDonald and Thompson are set to headline UFC Fight Night 89, which takes place live from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Canada, live on FS1 on June 18, 2016.

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Rory MacDonald ‘Surprised’ Tyron Woodley Got A Title Shot

The UFC’s welterweight division is set for a huge shake-up when No. 1-ranked Rory MacDonald takes on the surging No. 2-ranked Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, at UFC Fight Night 89 next week in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. MacDonald was last seen inside the Octagon in July of 2015, when the Canadian suffered a fifth round TKO loss

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MacDonald was last seen inside the Octagon in July of 2015, when the Canadian suffered a fifth round TKO loss to Robbie Lawler in their championship bout at UFC 189. Now Lawler is set to make his second title defense since his bout with MacDonald, against the No. 3-ranked Tyron Woodley in July’s UFC 201 main event.

MacDonald recently spoke with MMAJunkie, stating that he was a bit surprised that the title opportunity was given to Woodley and that he believed the next man up for the title should have been Brazilian jiu-jitsu wiz Damian Maia:

“I thought they were going to give it to Demian Maia,” MacDonald said. “I was a bit surprised that Woodley got it. But the champ needs to stay busy, wants to fight, and Woodley was patiently waiting. He was ready. It’s how it plays out.

Sometimes it’s not always the rightful guy gets the shot. You look at boxing, they have like tune-up fights in between their title fights. They’re not always fighting the No. 1 guy year around.

It’s a little different in our sport. Everyone thinks it always has to be the next guy, because it’s the next top guy. Woodley’s a good challenge. I’m not saying it’s not going to be a good fight, I just would have expected Demian to be the next guy because of his success.”

MacDonald was also adamant that if he can finish Wonderboy, like he believes he will, there will be no question he will be next up for another opportunity at the title:

“I’ve beat everybody,” MacDonald said. “If I put away ‘Wonderboy’ like I think I am, it’s going to be no question that everyone’s going to want to see me in that title fight because I feel like I’m going to take that title and hold it for a long time.”

MacDonald vs Thompson is set to go down at UFC Fight Night 89, live on FS1 from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on June 18, 2016.

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UFC Fight Night 82 Predictions

Johny Hendricks vs. Stephen Thompson: Mike Drahota: There’s a likely outcome to this impromptu main event, and then there’s a second (and more unlikely) one. The first is the clear pick that sees former champion ‘Bigg Rigg’ use his NCAA Championship-level wrestling skills to grind ‘Wonderboy’ down, as that’s really the only way Thompson has

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Johny Hendricks vs. Stephen Thompson:

Mike Drahota:

There’s a likely outcome to this impromptu main event, and then there’s a second (and more unlikely) one. The first is the clear pick that sees former champion ‘Bigg Rigg’ use his NCAA Championship-level wrestling skills to grind ‘Wonderboy’ down, as that’s really the only way Thompson has been shut down in the UFC.

The second is Thompson using his striking and range to blast ‘Bigg Rigg’ with a surprising shot and/or piecing him up with fast, relentless combos to win a huge upset. Hendricks has taken the best shots current welterweight champion Robbie Lawler could dish out, however, and I don’t think he’ll get knocked out here. I envision a fight like Hendricks’ latest win over Matt Brown, who, interestingly enough, defeated Thompson with a similar gameplan I foresee Hendricks using. ‘Bigg Rigg’ via unanimous decision.

Rory Kernaghan:

Hendricks vs. Thompson is a very interesting contrast of styles. On one hand you have the wrestling base and power striking of Hendricks, and on the other there’s ‘Wonderboy’ with his karate base and crazy kicks. Once again this is a fight that will be won and lost in the range department. The longer reach and better arsenal goes to Thompson on the outside, but Hendricks will rule this fight in short range. The weight issue for ‘Bigg Rigg’ will hopefully be a thing of the past, but a rough cut could mean a sub par performance. Providing there’s no hiccups, I see Hendricks taking a decision here.

Mike Henken:

This was a tough one to call for me, but I’m going to go with the upset here. Hendricks is a former champion with one-punch knockout power and one of the best wrestling pedigrees in the game today. Looking ripped and in shape, it appears he has left his weight cutting issues in the past, but he has tired in five-round fights before. That being said, he will be going up against the rangy “Wonderboy” Thompson, a man amongst the very best strikers in all of MMA. In my opinion, if Thompson can stop the takedown, and he has trained with former middleweight champion Chris Weidman, it’s his fight to lose. I expect him to use his length, movement, and vicious arsenal of kicks to pick up the biggest victory of his career. “Wonderboy” by fourth round TKO.

Roy Nelson vs. Jared Rosholt:

Mike Drahota:

I just can’t seem to get motivated by this fight in the co-main event slot, as fan favorite as sputtered as a one-dimensional knockout striker (who really only uses one move, a thunderous overhand right), while Rosholt is a talented enough but middling prospect in the UFC’s most boring – and slow-moving – division.

This bout certainly isn’t going to change that, and outside of a huge fight-ending [punch from ‘Big Country,’ I see Rosholt largely controlling the rotund Nelson, who’s failed against elite grapplers in losing five out of his last six, to win the decision here. Rosholt by decision is the pick.

Rory Kernaghan:

Roy Nelson vs. Jared Rosholt is a strange match to say the least, with one heavy hitting knockout artist in ‘Big Country’ and a smothering wrestler in Rosholt. The truth to this one is I feel Rosholt has no place being in the Octagon with someone of Roy’s caliber, with notable wins over some legends of the sport to his credit and a missile for a right hand. Nelson, first round KO, take that one to the bank.

Mike Henken:

Nelson has looked, well, rather awful as of late to say the least. Losing his last three bouts, it appears as if Nelson may be nearing the end of his time, and he will be facing off with a hungry Division I wrestler here in Rosholt. I wouldn’t be surprised to Rosholt to tire Nelson, who has never had the best cardio, and grind out a victory, but “Big Country” does possess that one game-changing tool: the right hand from hell. With the ability to put a man to sleep at any given point, I think we see one more bomb from “Big Country” here. Nelson by second round KO.

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Movin’ on Up: The UFC’s Five Fastest Rising Prospects

(A preview of Gustafsson’s placement on the list? There’s only one way to find out.)

A great man once said that geology was the study of pressure and time. That man’s name was Red, and although he was simply using the phrase as a metaphor for prison life, he could’ve just as easily been talking about hype. Because hype, not unlike geology, has the ability to form diamonds from coal, and just as easily crush the greatest boulders into dust.

As MMA fans, we know the hype game more than any; if we’re not prematurely declaring it “The_____Era,” then we’re likely discrediting legends of the sport, even going as far to say that their wins never held any validity in the first place. Sounds insane, doesn’t it? Well, welcome to the world of cyberhype, the deadliest, fastest spreading strand of hype there is. And as with Kei$ha and CSI spin-offs, there is little we can do to stop this disease, so instead we’ll just try and act like we were into it before it got popular.

Here are five of the hottest prospects in the UFC, ranked in order of how long we knew about them before you did.

5. Stephen Thompson

Last three fights: (W) Dan Stittgen via KO, (W) Patrick Mandio via UD, (W) William Kuhn via UD

There isn’t much we can say about Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson that his kickboxing and MMA records don’t. The man has strung together 63 consecutive wins in mixed competition, most recently starching Daniel Stittgen ^ at UFC 143. The hype surrounding Thompson has been overlooked by some, and will be put to the test when he takes on TUF 7 vet Matt Brown at UFC 145.

(A preview of Gustafsson’s placement on the list? There’s only one way to find out.)

Here are five of the hottest prospects in the UFC, ranked in order of how long we knew about them before you did.

5. Stephen Thompson

Last three fights: (W) Dan Stittgen via KO, (W) Patrick Mandio via UD, (W) William Kuhn via UD

4. Che Mills

Last three fights: (W) Chris Cope via TKO, (W) Marcio Cesar via KO, (W) Magomed Shikshabekov via UD

Former Cage Rage Welterweight champ Che “Beautiful” Mills had a rough start to his UFC career, falling to a heel hook in a preliminary match on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter to eventual season winner James Wilks. In the time since, however, Mills has gone 7-2, including wins over Jake Hecht and the above destruction of Chris Cope. Fun Fact: He also holds a pair of (T)KO wins over current DREAM Welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis. Mills will be squaring off against Rory MacDonald at UFC 145 in a match that will truly show us what he’s made of. Speaking of “Ares”…

3. Rory Macdonald

Last three fights: (W) Mike Pyle via TKO, (W) Nate Diaz via UD, (L) Carlos Condit via TKO

With his solid submission prowess, aggressive and diverse striking attack, and powerful wrestling base, it’s hard to really spot a weakness in Macdonald’s game. The only blemish on his record came via last second TKO loss to current welterweight interim champ Carlos Condit, in a match that many would argue he was ahead on going into the third round. We hate to speak in cliches, but the sky is the limit for this kid. In fact, we imagine he’ll be getting a much deserved rematch with Condit in the not-to-distant future. Unless Che Mills has something to say about it, of course.

Quote of the Day: Matt Brown “I Can Go 100-0 Beating a Bunch of Idiots”

(Well, maybe 100-1.)

Over the weekend, we announced that TUF 7 alum Matt Brown, who most recently starched Chris Cope at UFC 143, would be squaring off against world renowned kickboxer Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 145. Thompson, who is coming off a brilliant head kick KO victory in his octagon debut over Daniel Stittgen, also at UFC 143, amassed an incredible 57 victories as a kickboxer without a defeat before transitioning into MMA, where he has gone 6-0 thus far in his career. Well it seems that Brown isn’t too impressed with “Wonderboy’s” list of credentials, mainly due to a lack of name power in Thompson’s past opponents. Here’s what he told MMAWeekly in a recent interview:

I don’t know what he’s about in MMA. It looked to me he was doing the same old karate, and the karate’s the same thing, like who did he fight in karate? I don’t know. Name me one guy, name me one guy that he fought. I can tell you the guys I train with [have fought] Saenchai [and] Joe Schilling, guys that are well known in the kickboxing/Muay Thai world, on a world level…I’m not too concerned with this guy’s kickboxing. I can go 100-0 beating a bunch of idiots, but that’s not my style.

(Well, maybe 100-1.)

I don’t know what he’s about in MMA. It looked to me he was doing the same old karate, and the karate’s the same thing, like who did he fight in karate? I don’t know. Name me one guy, name me one guy that he fought. I can tell you the guys I train with [have fought] Saenchai [and] Joe Schilling, guys that are well known in the kickboxing/Muay Thai world, on a world level…I’m not too concerned with this guy’s kickboxing. I can go 100-0 beating a bunch of idiots, but that’s not my style.

Ouch. The verbal back-and-forth between these two apparently started after Thomspon was awarded the $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus following his UFC 143 win over Stittgen. Upset that he didn’t receive the award, Brown stated that Stittgen didn’t really deserve to be in the octagon with Thompson in the first place, whereas he fought a tougher guy in Chris Cope, and therefore should have earned the bonus.

And to a degree, we agree with him. Stittgen was brought in on just over a week’s notice to take on Thompson, whereas Cope had a full training camp to prepare for Brown. Then again, Thompson was only given four weeks himself to prepare for a fighter whose strengths were the exact opposite of his, whereas Brown was given basically a less talented version of himself in Cope. In either case, Thompson didn’t take kindly to Brown’s criticism, and it’s looking like we will be in for a good old fashioned ATL throwdown at UFC 145, which is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans (finally), as well as a battle of top welterweight prospects Che Mills and Rory MacDonald.

To be fair, Brown did complement Thompson’s fighting style, saying it was puzzling and Machida-esque in its appearance, but at the end of the day, believed “it’s the same old shit to me.”

Check out the rest of Brown’s interview below.

-J. Jones

Wednesday Afternoon MMA Link Club: Rousey and Tate Hate, The Other Overeem Speaks and More

(Ronda Rousey Continues Her Crusade to Become the Female Chael P. Sonnen — Video courtesy of MMA Fighting)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere…

– Miesha Tate: ‘Ronda Rousey Sounds Like An Idiot Half the Time’ (5th Round)

– UFC on FOX 4 set for Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 4 (MMA Mania)

– Tapout/UFC Announce New Sponsorship Partnership (MMA Payout)

– UFC 143 Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda With Scottie Epstein (MiddleEasy)

– Valentijn Overeem on Lesnar, JDS and Alistair (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

– UFC Announces Twitter Bonus Winners for Q4 (Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)

– Sanchez Says He’d Be Willing to Fight Teammate Condit (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Death of a Fight Club (MMA Convert)

– Dr. PaulBowman on “Theorizing Bruce Lee” (The Fight Nerd)

– UFC Message: Please Forget the outcome of Condit/Diaz I (Fight Opinion)

– Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson’s Post-UFC 143 Blog (FightLine)