Tag: Stephen Wonderboy Thompson

Coming off of his controversial majority decision loss to Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC 209 this past weekend (Sat. March 4, 2017), Stephen Thompson has had some time to reflect on the upsetting defeat at the hands of ‘The Chosen One.’

Thompson and Woodley initially met in the co-main event of UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden this past November, where the bout was ruled a majority draw after the Fight Of The Night. Their rematch, however, didn’t quite live up to expectations, as it was heavily received as one of the worst UFC title bouts in recent memory.

‘Wonderboy’ got the short end of the stick in the controversial decision after the judges read their score-cards, but he has had some time to reflect on the loss in a recent statement issued to FOX Sports:

“Last night was not the outcome I wanted. I wanted that title more than anything, but it didn’t go my way,” Thompson said. “Tyron is a great fighter, a deserving champion, and a worthy opponent.

“We’ll fight again, I know it.”

Given that Woodley and Thompson have fought twice now consecutively, the former kickboxing star will have to earn his opportunity at the 170-pound title once again. While the welterweight champ will likely meet the winner of Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia next, Thompson is ready for whatever challenge the UFC has planned for him:

“In the meantime, I’m gonna go home and see my dogs, hang out with my family, and just appreciate the fact that I get to do what I do for a living,” Thompson said. “I am blessed by everyone’s support and love and hope that every time I step on that canvas that love is repaid.

“I welcome the next challenge with open arms and a full heart.”

The post Stephen Thompson: I Know I’ll Fight Tyron Woodley Again appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Stephen Thompson thinks he definitely won three rounds  last night (Sat. March 4, 2017) in his welterweight title bout against Tyron Woodley (highlights here) in the main event of UFC 209 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

The pair met in a rematch of their UFC 205 co-main event meeting from last November, which ended in a majority draw and took home “Fight Of The Night” honors. Their second runaround, however, was anything but “Fight Of The Night,” as it was widely regarded as one of the most boring UFC title fights in recent memory.

After the judges’ scorecards were read, it was Woodley who walked out of the T-Mobile Arena as the 170-pound champion, but at the post-fight presser ‘Wonderboy’ stated that he believes the judges got the call wrong:

“Disappointed man,” Thompson said. “Worked my whole life to get here, I thought I won the fight but you can’t leave it in the judges’ eyes. That was all me.”

“I thought I definitely had three rounds, I know he took me down – I think it was in the third round, but I stood right back up. Of course he landed some shots on the ground but it didn’t hurt. Tyron is a big guy, he’s very strong, has a mean right hand, good takedowns, very strong in the clinch position, so I had to play it smart out there and just try and pick him apart. Use my side kick, use my jab, leg kicks, I thought I had it man. And I don’t remember what the scorecards were, but I think somebody gave him a 10-8? Which I don’t see that. Yeah, he knocked me down but I popped right back up. I was good.”

Fans in the arena let out a reign of boos during the five-round welterweight title main event, as both fighters implemented a rather tentative strategy to say the least.

However, Thompson reminded MMA fans that it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re inside the cage facing the top fighters in the world, so he couldn’t let the crowd’s negative reactions get him off his gameplan:

“You’re the one that’s out there, of course the crowd and everyone that’s watching, they’re not the ones in the Octagon getting punched in the face,” Thompson said. “You gotta learn to block that out and just do what you gotta do. I thought I did what I needed to do to get the job done, but it wasn’t enough, so I got to go back to the drawing board and hopefully keep this going.”

Now Thompson and Woodley have competed in back-to-back match-ups, with a definitive winner being somewhat crowned this time around. The next title opportunity is likely to go to the winner of the Demian Maia vs. Jorge Masvidal fight this May.

Thompson doesn’t know what’s next for him as it pertains to his next opponent inside the Octagon, and will have to regroup with his team and family to determine what the right next step is for him:

“I don’t know to be honest with you,” said Thompson. “I’m gonna go back with my coaches and family to talk about what’s going on. Definitely want to fuel up, took a big shot in the fifth round and two big fights in the fight before that so I just wanted to make sure everything is taken care of up here (head) okay. I’m a fighter, I’m gonna fight whoever, and I’m gonna go back and talk with my coaches to see if we should take some time off or if we should get another fight. It’s kind up to us to conjugate and see what we can get going.”

The post Stephen Thompson: I Definitely Won Three Rounds appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

It’s no secret that Tyron Woodley is looking for a big money fight.

Following the majority draw decision after his five-round Fight Of The Night worthy contest with Stephen Thompson at UFC 205, Woodley immediately looked for superfights against the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz, and 185-pound champ Michael Bisping.

This sparked much upset amongst UFC fans and ‘Wonderboy’, who weren’t too pleased with ‘The Chosen One’s’ attempt to evade an immediate rematch with Thompson following the draw. Now, however, the two men are slated to run it back again in the main event of UFC 209, but Woodley recently spoke to FOX Sports to explain why those superfights were so important to him:

“Legacy is really important to me,” Woodley said. “It’s more important than dollars to me. So with that said, I try to find the fights that would solidify my legacy. Beating (Michael) Bisping, winning two belts in two divisions, maybe starting a rivalry and controversy with a fighter and then also knocking off legends like Nick (Diaz) and GSP.

“Those sort of things solidify me and also yeah it puts me in the position to maximize myself as far as being awarded the highest purses. So I’m just trying to kill two birds with one stone.”

With rumors continuing to run rampant regarding the return of former welterweight king Georges St-Pierre, Woodley is foaming at the mouth for the opportunity to step into the ring with ‘Rush’ in attempt to solidify himself as the best 170-pounder to ever step inside the Octagon:

“I’d like to take a crack at being the best welterweight that’s ever fought,” Woodley said. “A lot of people don’t understand my reasoning behind wanting to fight big fights and big names.

“Knocking off these big names in fights really solidifies me as the best welterweight that’s ever done it. Fighting Georges St-Pierre really puts the exclamation point at the end of it. It sounds like (GSP) is serious about coming back and I don’t think it should be a question of anybody fighting him before me.”

While Woodley has met much criticism after attempting to set up superfights, Woodley is seeing fighters such as UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor have been cheered on for their efforts. Woodley doesn’t hold any animosity towards McGregor for trying to create even more hype behind his name, he understands why their respective situations are so different:

“Just to be blatantly honest, everyone occupies in a different set of rules,” Woodley said. “Ronda Rousey operates in a different set of rules than Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor operates under a different set of rules that Jon Jones. There’s something about somebody who does something special in the UFC that they’re allotted certain freedoms and wiggle room around the rules.

“I’m just not in that category. So if I want to fight Georges St-Pierre or Nick Diaz or Nate Diaz then it’s all the hooplah and all the talk about it.”

Would you like to see Woodley step into the Octagon against the likes of ‘GSP’ or Diaz?

The post Tyron Woodley Explains Desire For Superfights appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.