Tag: Stephen Wonderboy Thompson

Stephen Thompson Irritated By Woodley’s ‘Stupid’ Focus On Race

Stephen Thompson isn’t buying Tyron Woodley’s ‘worst treated champion in history’ claim. Leading up to Woodley and Thompson’s initial meeting at UFC 205 this past November ‘The Chosen One’ claims that ‘Wonderboy’ was being promoted as the champion heading into the contest. Woodley pointed to racial discrimination by both the UFC and fans as a

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Stephen Thompson isn’t buying Tyron Woodley’s ‘worst treated champion in history’ claim.

Leading up to Woodley and Thompson’s initial meeting at UFC 205 this past November ‘The Chosen One’ claims that ‘Wonderboy’ was being promoted as the champion heading into the contest. Woodley pointed to racial discrimination by both the UFC and fans as a key reason for this.

Thompson recently spoke to Submission Radio (quotes via Bloody Elbow) to discuss his UFC 209 opponent’s claims, and stated that he doesn’t believe Woodley has been champion long enough to feel like the worst treated title-holder in UFC history:

“The guy hasn’t been champion long enough to even feel that way, I believe,” Thompson said. “I mean, to me it seems like the most hated champion would be Bisping, you know what I mean?”

The pair’s match-up at UFC 205 ended in a controversial majority draw decision after a spectacular welterweight title contest in the night’s co-main event. Now the two will run it back once again in the main event of UFC 209 this March in Vegas to determine who the better man truly is.

Before both men signed on the dotted line for an immediate rematch, however, Woodley was openly campaigning for fights with other opponents such as Nick Diaz or Demian Maia. Thompson believes this is what brings about the dislike towards Woodley from fans, not the color of his skin:

“For me, he hasn’t defended the title like he’s supposed to. So automatically getting that rematch and just looking for other fighters and riding on other people’s coattails, maybe have given him or the fans a bad taste in their mouth.”

“But when it comes to race, that’s stupid. I mean, that’s just stupid. One of the highest paid athletes in the UFC is Jon Jones, and pretty much whatever happened to him, he did to himself. And Anderson Silva on the other hand too. So I don’t get it. You know what, it kind of irritates me cause he’s focused on that when he should be focusing more on the fight at hand, because I don’t want to step out there March 4thand face off against a distracted Tyron Woodley. I fight for the glory and I want to fight the best when I step out there March 4th and I want him to be focused on it. So that’s my two cents on that, and I just think it’s ridiculous.”

Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

As to whether or not Woodley is being discriminated by the UFC, that isn’t something Thompson can attest to as he doesn’t know what negotiations between the promotion and the welterweight champ are like:

“Maybe that’s where he’s getting all that from – maybe not from the UFC, but from the fans. That’s what I see.”

“On the other hand, I don’t see what goes on from his point of view when he’s negotiating with the UFC. Of course, I’m not there with him during those negotiations or things like that. So maybe, I don’t know, I’m missing something or maybe he sees something different just because I’m not there during his negotiations and chats with the UFC. But from my side, for him to pull that, it’s not necessary.”

Woodley has recently said that the relationship between him and the UFC has improved as of late, and is prepared to defend his title once again when he steps into the Octagon with ‘Wonderboy’ for the second consecutive time. Do you think Woodley is fully focused on his bout with Thompson?

You can listen to Thompson’s interview with Submission Radio here:

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Stephen Thompson Downplays Woodley’s Racism Remarks

UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley and No. 1-ranked Stephen Thompson put on one of the best 170-pound title bouts in recent memory, when they collided in the co-main event of UFC 205 this past November at Madison Square Garden. When all was said and done in New York City, however, no clear winner given after

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UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley and No. 1-ranked Stephen Thompson put on one of the best 170-pound title bouts in recent memory, when they collided in the co-main event of UFC 205 this past November at Madison Square Garden.

When all was said and done in New York City, however, no clear winner given after the bout, as the judges ruled the contest a majority draw decision. Now ‘The Chosen One’ and ‘Wonderboy’ will collide once more to determine who the true king of the UFC’s welterweight division is, and it’ll all go down in the main event of UFC 209 this March.

Recently Woodley has stated that he feels he’s been treated harshly by fans and the UFC due to his skin color, something that Thompson tells MMA Junkie just doesn’t make sense given the success of other African-American fighters in the promotion:

“Jon Jones, one of the biggest stars in the UFC at the time,” Thompson said. “Anderson Silva. … He’s the GOAT. I’m looking at these fighters, and to me, (they) haven’t been treated any differently.

“But I haven’t seen (Woodley’s) side. I haven’t been around him, and haven’t seen what’s going on with the UFC. But who doesn’t know Tyron?”

‘Wonderboy’ would go on to urge Woodley not to focus on anything other than their fight in March, as he wants to fight the very best version of the champ when they step into the Octagon in Las Vegas:

“I’m looking at Tyron saying, ‘Focus on the fight. Just focus on the fight. Don’t worry about all this other stuff until after,’” he said. “Because I want to fight the best Tyron Woodley.”

Woodley and Thompson will meet in the main event of UFC 209 live on pay-per-view (PPV) for the UFC welterweight title, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 4, 2017.

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Tyron Woodley Reveals Nick Diaz Turned Down UFC 209 Title Fight

With fan favorite Nick Diaz’s 18-month suspension over last August and the Stockton slugger done paying his hefty fine, the MMA world just can’t help but wonder when – and against whom – the enigmatic star will return. The most outspoken prospective opponent of Diaz has been UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, who began voicing

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With fan favorite Nick Diaz’s 18-month suspension over last August and the Stockton slugger done paying his hefty fine, the MMA world just can’t help but wonder when – and against whom – the enigmatic star will return.

The most outspoken prospective opponent of Diaz has been UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, who began voicing his aim at a “money fight” with Diaz a few minutes after he won the belt from Robbie Lawler in July 2016. He’s now set to rematch Stephen Thompson at March 4’s UFC 209 after he and ‘Wonderboy’ fought to a rousing draw at last November’s UFC 205, but Woodley’s inability to get a high-level bout with Diaz isn’t for his own lack of trying.

As usual, longtime veteran Diaz isn’t fond of the grind of fighting despite it being the only life he knows, and he’s often been seen and heard retiring after a loss only to come back for another pay-per-view (PPV) headliner when the offer contains enough commas. So much so, in fact, that Woodley said Diaz even turned down potential fights with Lawler (whom he’s knocked out) and even Conor McGregor because the money just wasn’t enough:

“It is not like Nick is scared of fighting you know,” Woodley said laughing. “He’s not scared to fight me or Robbie or Conor McGregor. Nick wants to get paid man. He’s held out in the past and it has worked out in his favor. He went out there and fought Anderson Silva for close to a million bucks. He knows that he pushes the needle. Plus there is a card, 209, so he understands what he is worth to that card. So I can’t knock him for that. It’s more of a situation of him wanting to get paid.”

Those are obviously huge fights, and a grudge match with current lightweight champ McGregor, who had an infamous rival with his brother Nate last year, would arguably be one of the biggest match-ups the UFC could sign for 2017.

But Diaz isn’t taking the bait, and he also reportedly turned down an immediate title shot against Woodley at UFC 209, the upcoming spring PPV card that bears the number of his honored area code. The current champion told MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas that Nick was offered the fight but wanted to make more cash:

Apparently Woodley very nearly had a huge payday PPV main event, which means the UFC wanted to bring Diaz straight back into a title fight with one of the most powerful fighters in MMA, despite him only having fought twice in the Octagon in almost four years, instead of the consensus most deserving contender in ‘Wonderboy.’

The oldest Diaz brother hasn’t won a fight since he bludgeoned a fading BJ Penn way back at UFC 137 in 2011, a once-dominant champion who will return, ironically enough, to the 145-pound division to face rising star Yair Rodriguez this Sunday night.

Diaz may be dreading the cut down to 170 pounds as well, having not fought at the class where he rose to superstardom in Strikeforce since his UFC 158 decision loss to all-time great former champion Georges St-Pierre in March 2013. Although he returned to battle another one of the UFC’s greats in Anderson Silva, yet another failed drug test for marijuana metabolites, albeit amongst contested circumstances, served as a reminder why a main event with Nick Diaz is such a rare sight.

At this point, however, it would seem like the other kind of green is what’s holding back his latest MMA return.

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If Tyron Woodley Can Beat “Wonderboy”, Will The People Accept Him As Their Champ?

To put it bluntly, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley rubs people the wrong way. Whether it’s for lack of personality, big money fight call outs, or playing the race card, for some reason or another he hasn’t exactly been a big smash hit with the fans. Until now…maybe?

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Tough Crowd

To put it concisely, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley rubs people the wrong way. Whether it’s for lack of personality, big money fight call outs, or playing the race card, for some reason or another he hasn’t exactly been a big smash hit with the fans. Until now…maybe?

One of the biggest critique of Tyron Woodley is that he’s been ducking fights. He recently fought the much touted Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson to a majority draw at UFC 205. While it didn’t settle much on the scorecard – it did show that he could bang with the karate phenom, almost finishing him in Rd 4 . Now it seems after failed negotiations for a super fight with middleweight champ Michael Bisping, the two will meet again at UFC 209.

In a recent episode on his podcast “The Morning Wood”, he revealed that him and Wonderboy would again be sharing the octagon on March 4th.

“March 4th, UFC 209 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at what I believe to be the T-Mobile Center, you will see ‘Wonderboy’ get the worst ass-whooping of his life,” Woodley said. “And hopefully all of his fans and all of his over-entitlement deceases at that moment and we can do a eulogy for it.”

“From this point forward, I’m going to commit to taking this dude out in the most embarrassing and worst fashion,” Woodley said. “And with that said, that last fight is in the dust. I ain’t going to cry over spilled milk. I ain’t going to cry over what round, who did what, where, when, where. That fight is in the dust. It’s done, it’s over with.

“This is a new fight, the most important fight of my life, not only to just continue to be the champion and to keep my belt — I can’t allow myself to lose to him and what he stands for and what his fans stand for, and this overly-entitled group of individuals who are in mixed martial arts. I can’t let myself lose to that. So with that said, let’s get to work and let’s get this party on the go.”

So the real question is – even if he beats Wonderboy in March, will people finally accept Tyron Woodley as their champ? Probably not. Let’s face it, the fans want to see him lose. That’s why they’re going to hail whoever he fights next as the person to dethrone him. Don’t get me wrong, Demian Maia and Donald Cerrone are absolute beasts and could very well do the job if Wonderboy can’t take care of business, but I think it’s the case that most fans just can’t connect with the welterweight champ.

To a certain degree he reminds me of Dominick Cruz. Before he was a fan favorite, he was a guy that wasn’t very much liked. “The California Kid” Urijah Faber was definitely the more popular of the two with his surfer vibe and coloquios attitude. Cruz was a bit more serious, more introverted, more in his head. His turning point really happened after his injury, he became one of the best analyst in the game, and started to inspire people with his never say die attitude. His under 2 minute K.O. of Takeya Mizugaki didn’t hurt either.

In my assessment, Woodley will have to keep that belt for a long time for people to really come round to him. At the end of the day you can’t deny someone who keeps on winning (insert Floyd Mayweather exception here).

What do you guys think of the welterweight champ, and how do you think he can turn things around?

 

Lionel Harris-Spence is a writer, filmmaker, and functioning alcoholic. You can catch him screaming obscenities at flat screens on fight night.

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Tyron Woodley Calls Out A Big Name For UFC 209

UFC welterweight champ Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley is continuing his requests for super-fights now that he has successfully defended his 170-pound title against top welterweight contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Woodley and Thompson battled it out in a five round war at UFC 205 last month, to which the bout was scored a majority draw

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UFC welterweight champ Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley is continuing his requests for super-fights now that he has successfully defended his 170-pound title against top welterweight contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

Woodley and Thompson battled it out in a five round war at UFC 205 last month, to which the bout was scored a majority draw and Woodley would retain his title. While the UFC and Thompson seem to be set on an immediate rematch between the two, Woodley seems to have other ideas.

‘The Chosen One’ took to Twitter to throw his name in the hat to throw-down on the upcoming UFC 209 pay-per-view (PPV) card in March, and he wants to share the Octagon with a man who holds those three numbers rather close to his heart:

Nick Diaz has just wrapped up his suspension handed to him by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for his controversial failed drug test in 2015. Diaz served an 18-month suspension and came to an agreement with the NSAC regarding his fine that had to be paid, allowing him to resume all combat sports-related activities immediately.

While some contenders still lurk in the UFC’s welterweight division, including jiu jitsu specialist Demian Maia and ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson as well, Woodley is adamant in the fact that he is not attempting to ‘duck’ either one of those competitors:

Is a match-up between Woodley and Diaz something you’d like to see? Or does a title bout between ‘The Chosen One’ and either Maia or Thompson make more sense?

UFC 209 goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4, 2017.

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Stephen Thompson ‘Not At All’ Concerned With McGregor At 170 Pounds

While UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor may have stolen the show at UFC 205 earlier this month in Madison Square Garden, the match that kept everybody at the edge of their seats took place in the evening’s co-main event in the welterweight title war between champion Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley and challenger

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While UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor may have stolen the show at UFC 205 earlier this month in Madison Square Garden, the match that kept everybody at the edge of their seats took place in the evening’s co-main event in the welterweight title war between champion Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley and challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

The bout was razor close throughout its 25-minute progression, as both men showed dominant periods throughout the contest. In the end Woodley would remain champion as the fight was ruled a majority draw.

After the bout UFC President Dana White confirmed that the rematch between Woodley and Thompson was the fight to make next, despite Woodley having stated that he must first talk to his management to discuss his next options. ‘Wonderboy’ recently spoke to Submission Radio earlier this week to discuss his match with Woodley, and showed some concern over how the bout was judged:

“I knew he won the first round. He ended up taking me down off that lazy kick. He was very strong on the ground, so I knew I couldn’t get up from that position, so I knew I had to wait it out. I knew I won the second and third round, that fourth round was obviously him and the fifth round was mine as well.

“So I figured I pulled out enough to win. But you know what, he is the champion, man, and of course they gave him I think the 10-8 in the fourth – I think one judge gave him 10-8 fourth round, one judge gave him 10-8 first round, which I don’t see that on the first round. But it is what it is, and it’s gonna make this second fight even that much better when I bring that title belt back home.”

After the bout’s conclusion some controversy arose regarding the score cards as announcer Bruce Buffer first called it a win for Woodley, but would leave the cage and return to announce that it was in fact a majority draw. Thompson detailed his confusion inside the cage during the incident, stating that Dana White told him to stay inside the Octagon because it was ‘definitely’ a draw:

“In the beginning, I really didn’t see Bruce Buffer kind of go in the cage, go back out of the cage, so I was just sitting there, talking to my coaches and of course he announced that Tyron won the fight. And then I’m sitting there like what the crap? I knew I won the second, third and fifth round, I’m like going through my head. And then I look at Dana White and he’s like, “no dude, stay up in here, it was a draw, it was definitely a draw”. I’m like, okay, crap, yes man, this could definitely happen, we could definitely get another fight out of this.

“And so all those emotions were going through my head, thinking I won the fight, and then I didn’t win the fight, and then going to, hey, this is a draw, we can end up fighting again. It was chaos, to be honest with you. It was all crazy in my head. But the final judgement was that it was a draw, which means we are gonna be able to fight again. And I think the fans enjoyed the fight. I think they loved it, it was very exciting. So dude, I am so down to do it again. We’re looking at February, hopefully, to get this next title shot going.”

6038584092262400[1]Thompson isn’t the only one who is being considered for the next shot at Woodley, however, as Conor McGregor has discussed moving back up to welterweight to challenge ‘The Chosen One’ for the 170-pound strap. Despite these rumblings Thompson remains unconcerned with the Irishman’s desire to enter the welterweight title picture, as he believes the UFC knows he is deserving of the next opportunity:

“Not at all, man. To be honest with you, I think the UFC knows that I deserve that title shot, that I deserve that rematch. And you know what, I think that Conor McGregor’s gotta defend the 145 and the 155 title and I just think he’s too small for the 170 division. I mean, he’s walking around right at 170, maybe a little bit less. I don’t think it would be a good division for him to step up to.”

“I think it would be a good fight no matter what. I mean, he is one of the best fighters out there and that’s what we’re out to do. We’re out to fight the best fighters in whatever division, whoever steps up. We’ll take on any challenges and I think that’s what fighters do. If you’re a champion or not, you should take on all challenges and I think it would be a good fight. I think the fans would tune in to see who would win.”

Although he doesn’t think the SBG Ireland product belongs in the talent-stacked 170-pound weight division, he does credit ‘The Notorious One’ for laying the groundwork for a possible feud with Woodley in the future:

“I think it’s very smart, very intelligent for him. I mean, he’s already out there talking trash to Tyron and doing his thing, doing what Conor McGregor does. I mean, just think about it – a few years ago, he was living in his car, he had no money. Now he’s a multi-millionaire. Hats off to that guy.

I’m happy for that guy. A lot of people look down on people who are successful, but Conor McGregor is successful because he runs his mouth and he knows how to put on a show. I mean, look at his press conferences. I mean, come on. People show up just to see him just act nuts. Hats off to that guy, he’s a very intelligent, very smart guy.”

Thompson is looking to take some time off to recover from his five round war with Woodley, and hopefully return in February to get his rematch with the welterweight champ. You can check out ‘Wonderboy’s’ full interview with Submission Radio here:

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