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Joaquin Buckley Explains It Wasn’t Easy to Knock Out ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson

Joaquin Buckley Explains It Wasn't Easy to Knock Out 'Wonderboy' Thompson Knocking out Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was no easy task for Joaquin Buckley. Just a couple of months ago, ‘New…

Knocking out Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was no easy task for Joaquin Buckley.

Just a couple of months ago, ‘New Mansa’ scored the biggest win of his career, KOing Thompson in the third round of their entertaining scrap at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

“We had to get ‘Wonderboy’ out of there,” Buckley told The MMA Guru while looking back on his latest victory. “He’s an OG, right? With the ‘Wonderboy’ fight, everybody loves ‘Wonderboy’ and they were excited for him to come back. They thought he’d have an easy time with me, especially if we stayed standing. But this is mixed martial arts, so you take the fight wherever you need to. I switched it up, used my wrestling, backed him up against the cage, and we were able to transition and find the knockout.

“It’s not easy to knock out ‘Wonderboy.’ The last person to do it was Anthony Pettis, and he was getting whooped the whole fight before he came off the cage with some ‘Showtime’ stuff. But I feel like I systematically beat ‘Wonderboy’ to get that knockout, and that was the difference.”

Joaquin Buckley gunning for the 15th kO of his career at UFC Tampa

On Saturday night, Buckley returns to the Octagon to headline the promotion’s final event of 2024, UFC Tampa. There, he’ll look to land another highlight-reel finish against another fighter who has proven difficult to put away inside the distance — Colby Covington.

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Making his first appearance since a lackluster loss against Leon Edwards around this same time last year, Covington has only been stopped twice in his mixed martial arts career, both coming under the UFC banner. The last time was five years ago when ‘Chaos’ came up short against then-welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman in their inaugural title tilt.

Covington went the distance with Usman two years later but still came up short on the scorecards.

‘Motherfker’s an ahole’ Joaquin Buckley claims Stephen Thompson’s nice guy act is fake

Joaquin Buckley is tired of ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson’s “nice guy act.” Regarded as one of the nicest fighters in the…

Joaquin Buckley is tired of ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson’s “nice guy act.”

Regarded as one of the nicest fighters in the game, Stephen Thompson has been a staple in the welterweight division for more than a decade. But as it turns out, not everyone is a fan.

During an exclusive interview with combat sports blog Parry Punch, ‘New Mansa’ claimed that he got a very different vibe from Stephen Thompson during an International Fight Week encounter and pulled no punches while recounting the incident.

“I’m not even trolling on this one, but I really feel like ‘Wonderboy’ be putting on a role,” Buckley said. “He ain’t as nice as everybody tries to claim him to be. I feel like ‘Wonderboy’ gave me different kinds of vibes… I feel like ‘Wonderboy’ is the Ellen DeGeneres of MMA. Seems like the nice guy on camera, but behind closed doors, that motherf*cker’s an a**hole, for sure.”

‘Wonderboy’ Snaps back at Joaquin Buckley

Getting wind of Joaquin Buckley’s comment, ‘Wonderboy’ snapped back on social media to remind ‘New Mansa’ of the time he asked the two-time title challenger for advice.

“Must’ve forgotten that time he asked me for technique advice, and I happily gave it to him,” Thompson wrote on X. “That was like a month ago. Keep talking, though.”

Fight fans weren’t exactly interested in hearing Joaquin Buckley’s blasphemous comments about Thompson either, blasting the Naperville native in response.

It’s also possible that Joaquin Buckley is simply trying to pick a fight with someone who sits a few spots above him in the welterweight top 10. ‘New Mansa’ is currently holding strong at No. 11 while ‘Wonderboy’ is clinging onto the No. 9 slot.

Either way, are you interested in a potential clash between Buckley and Thompson?

Jorge Masvidal hopes to run it back with ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in UFC return: ‘We’ll put it on for the fans’

When (not if) Jorge Masvidal makes his triumphant return to the UFC, he hopes to share the Octagon with…

When (not if) Jorge Masvidal makes his triumphant return to the UFC, he hopes to share the Octagon with one of the welterweight division’s most respected stars.

On Saturday, July 6, ‘Gamebred’ will strap on the eight-ounce gloves for a big-money boxing match with former BMF rival Nate Diaz inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

It will be the second time in their respective careers that the ex-UFC icons go toe-to-toe on pay-per-view, the first going down in November 2019 at UFC 244. There, Masvidal went home with a win via a doctor’s stoppage TKO following the third round, claiming the inaugural BMF title in the process.

During a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Masvidal revealed that he has another rematch on his bucket list, though this one would be back inside the Octagon rather than in a boxing ring.

“A fight with ‘Wonderboy’ would be amazing,” Masvidal said when asked about a UFC return. “Definitely, I always wanted to get a rematch with him. Outside of the cage, since I’ve met him since before we fought, I’ve always had so much respect for ‘Wonderboy’ and who he is. He’s actually a good, positive person that’s out to do good.

“He’s a family man, a great guy. You can’t find anybody that will talk bad about him and say that he owes money or is a shady person or whatever. I really respect ‘Wonderboy’, so I would love to break bread with him. Let’s run it, and go in there and just give it all we’ve got… We’ll put it on for the fans. I would love, when I come back at some point, to fight Thompson” (h/t BJPenn.com).

‘Wonderboy’ could be the perfect welcome back fight for jorge masvidal

Stephen Thompson, or ‘Wonderboy’ as fans and fighters have come to know him, is one of the UFC’s most respected stars, having fought a who’s who of top-tier talent during his 14 years and still going career inside the Octagon. Along the way, he’s earned victories over the likes of Robert Whittaker, Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal, Kevin Holland, and of course, Jorge Masvidal.

Thomspon’s win over Masvidal came at UFC 217, almost two years before ‘Gamebred’ launched himself into superstardom with his iconic knockout of Ben Askren.

In the time since their fight, ‘Wonderboy’ has gone 3-5 while Masvidal stepped away from the UFC following a four-fight losing skid. With both fighters still carrying a ton of name recognition despite being far from title contention, Thompson vs. Masvidal 2 could be the perfect fight to welcome ‘Gamebred’ back to the show and give fans that big fight feel.

UFC CEO Dana White offers one of the Nelk Boys $50,000 to make weight, ‘but won’t pay Wonderboy’

Dana White will hand Nelk Boys handler Gabe Souza $50,000 if he can shed a few pounds over the…

Dana White will hand Nelk Boys handler Gabe Souza $50,000 if he can shed a few pounds over the next few months.

White’s relationship with the Nelk Boys has been a contentious one for MMA fans. Things seemed to reach a boiling point when the UFC CEO gifted one of the YouTube troupe’s founders — Kyle Forgeard — $250,000 for his birthday while the debate over fighter pay continued to rage on.

In a recent video clip shared by Jed I. Goodman on X, White was once again seen offering up a ridiculous sum of money to Souza, the executive assistant of Kyle Forgeard and the Nelk Boys. If he can drop his body weight down to 190 pounds by May 16, White agreed to hand him 50k in cold hard cash.

“May 16, if you come in at 190 pounds, I’m gonna give you $50,000,” White said in the video.

Dana White will give Gabe $50K if he is 190lbs on May 16. pic.twitter.com/X1oFNq5v7B

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) February 14, 2024

In the clip, it’s revealed that White has already gifted Souza $45,000 during his weight loss journey, meaning if he meets the agreed-upon goal, he will have banked almost 100k in less than a year.

Fight fans online had an understandable reaction to the video and White’s willingness to throw copious amounts of money at the Nelk Boys while many UFC fighters continue to go into debt to pay for their fight camps.

“Dana will pay a Nelk boy for making weight but won’t pay Wonderboy,” one commenter wrote.

“Crazy how Dana throws money at these corny, rich influencers but rostered UFC fighters are fighting for pennies,” another added.

Dana White Defends Not Paying ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson

In July, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thomspon was scheduled to fight Michel Pereira at UFC 291. Pereira stepped on the scale three pounds overweight prompting Thompson to bow out of the contest altogether.

“I made weight this morning as I have done every fight during my 11+ year UFC career,” Thompson wrote in a statement published to his Instagram on July 28. “My opponent did not. This isn’t the first time I’ve had an opponent miss weight and given how that played out previously, myself and my team felt that it’s ultimately not smart for us to move forward with this fight.

“This isn’t a videogame and both of us are putting our health and our careers on the line… Fighters who miss weight face far too few consequences and are often allowed to fight with a significant competitive advantage. This appears to be happening more and more these days. Hopefully, the decision to not move forward with the fight will discourage others from missing weight in the future. I also hope to encourage fighters that face this situation to follow suit and not allow this to happen to them. I’m healthy and I will look to get back in the Octagon [as soon as possible] but on a level playing field…”

Despite showing up for work and making the agreed-upon weight, ‘Wonderboy’ never received his fight purse which prompted backlash from fans.

“So how that works is, guys don’t just get paid to not fight,” White told reporters during a post-fight press conference. “It’s not how that works. Guys have been paid. We’ve taken care of guys. Hey, listen, if you come in, and you’re making short money, we take care of you.

“You come in and you don’t fight — first of all, you decided not to fight. The guy was three pounds overweight, whatever it was, you get a piece of his purse if you take the fight. But if you deter you decide you don’t want to take the fight. We also offered him another fight.”

Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was ‘Bullied’ into taking fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 294

Ex-Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson believes Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was bullied into taking a fight with undefeated standout Shavkat Rakhmonov. Last month, Dana White revealed that Thompson would return for a clash with ‘Nomad’ as part of the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 296. The announcement came two months after ‘Wonderboy’ was scheduled to […]

Ex-Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson believes Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was bullied into taking a fight with undefeated standout Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Last month, Dana White revealed that Thompson would return for a clash with ‘Nomad’ as part of the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 296. The announcement came two months after ‘Wonderboy’ was scheduled to step inside the Octagon at UFC 291 in July. However, his opponent, Michel Pereira, stepped on the scale three pounds over the weight limit, prompting Thomspon to turn down the fight.

Fight fans online immediately shared their displeasure with the booking, suggesting that the promotion is essentially sacrificing the aging ‘Wonderboy’ in order to give Rakhmonov another big win as UFC hopes to curate the next big welterweight superstar. But former Bellator and UFC fighter Josh Thomson had a different take, suggesting that Thompson was basically bullied into taking a fight against the Kazakh.

“He got bulled into this fight John,” Thomson claimed on an episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast with ‘Big’ John McCarthy.

He continued, “I mean, there’s like nothing he can do. They’re like, ‘You’re 40 years old or 41, and no matter how much we care, like no matter how much you’ve done for us, no matter how much we like you’… I’m surprised they didn’t give him the Kamaru Usman fight. Kamaru wanted it, he wanted it. It just didn’t… I’m surprised. But then again, we’re going to see exactly… This fight is going to be like this fight, I think Shavkat is going to be able to muscle, I would say muscle him around but find ways to get into the clinch and get this fight to the ground” (h/t MMA News).

‘Wonderboy’ and Kamaru Usman had shown mutual interest in fighting one another, but during an interview with MiddeEasy, Thompson indicated that the promotion had other plans for the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ leaving himself with little options left to fight up the rankings.

Currently, Shavkat Rakhmonov occupies the No. 6 spot in the welterweight top 10 while Thompson is holding strong at No. 7. If ‘Wonderboy’ manages to hand ‘Nomad’ his first career defeat on December 16, it could go a long way toward earning him one final shot at UFC gold before hanging up his gloves for good.

EXCLUSIVE – Stephen Thompson says bulked-Up Conor McGregor is ‘Not a true welterweight’

Stephen Thompson does not consider Conor McGregor a legitimate welterweight after the Irishman spent much of his last two years putting on muscle mass. ‘Wonderboy’ had the opportunity to train alongside McGregor while filming the latest season of the UFC’s long-running reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. Scheduled to begin airing on May 30, TUF 31 […]

Stephen Thompson does not consider Conor McGregor a legitimate welterweight after the Irishman spent much of his last two years putting on muscle mass.

‘Wonderboy’ had the opportunity to train alongside McGregor while filming the latest season of the UFC’s long-running reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. Scheduled to begin airing on May 30, TUF 31 will feature the former two-division champion coaching opposite his next opponent inside the Octagon, ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler. No official date has been revealed for his highly anticipated return, but the Irishman recently suggested December is the likeliest scenario.

McGregor will be joined by Stephen Thompson on the series who will appear as a guest coach. In a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Stephen Thompson shared some details during his time filming the new season and how it all came about.

“So I was out there doing the Jose Cuervo commercial [with Kevin Holland] and we had just got done filming and me and my brother were on the way home,” Stephen Thompson said. “We stopped to get some lunch with one of our managers and we were getting ready to head to the airport and then Conor ends up calling up. ‘Hey, we want Stephen to stick around for a guest coach.’ I’m like, ‘Say no more. I’m coming in.’ So it was really cool. It was a cool experience.”

Stephen Thompson discredits Conor McGregor as “real” welterweight

With practically every fighter under the sun calling out Conor McGregor at one time or another, it would probably be more efficient to make a list of fighters who haven’t called for a fight with the Irishman. ‘Wonderboy’ would be one of the few names on that list. Asked if he had ever considered calling out McGregor for a clash inside the Octagon, Stephen Thompson admitted that he has, but does not believe that McGregor is a true welterweight despite his significant increase in muscle mass.

“He’s not a true welterweight,” Stephen Thompson said. “Most of the guys I fight, they walk around over 200 pounds. [Conor] looks bigger, but he’s like 185. He’s not as heavy as… Not a big guy.”

‘Wonderboy’ even revealed one of Conor McGregor’s secrets to looking bigger on camera, particularly when standing next to another fighter.

“We were with him and he knows when the camera turns on. It’s like telepathy. He turns on his persona. We take a picture together and we’re in our fighting stance and he inches forward so when you look at the picture, he looks so much bigger than me. He knows how to do it.”

Though no official announcement has been made, Conor McGregor’s fight with Michael Chandler is expected to take place at welterweight, eliminating a potentially gruelling weight cut for both fighters.