In a career that has spanned more than a decade, welterweight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson has made his mark in the …
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higher level of talent oh that’s my just
how good was that well he will work his
way up to the higher level
young man
Simpsonville South Carolina is on the
UFC map courtesy of that man Stephen
Wonderboy Thompson and you know when he
says anybody who steps into the octagon
has never faced someone like me I
perhaps Johnny Hendricks would disagree
but this is a very unique challenge for
Johnny Hendricks tonight he is in many
ways it’s like fighting two different
guys at the same time depending on what
stance Stephen Thompson is in he has two
totally different striking styles
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Thompson
[Applause]
defends the first takedown then lands
those two strikes that’s huge for the
confidence of Wonder Boy
and again Wonder Boy going upstairs and
finding the tall oh nice combination by
Thompson
anyway he eats a lot of punches because
he looks for counters he may be heard
there
this would be mess if Stephen Thompson
can finish him in the first round
[Applause]
how about it
well Wonder Boy is limping or just doing
something but in the biggest spot of his
career Stephen Thompson started training
in karate at age three his father was a
professional fighter
and the family has owned a karate school
for decades all the kids that would be
all the five children the three boys and
two girls in the Thompson family have
trained in karate since they were very
young and Thompson has an incredible
combined kickboxing record between his
professional and amateur kickboxing
matches of 57-0 with 40 Knockouts I mean
that really is a spectacular record
really I’ve never even heard of anybody
entering the UFC with such an amazing
record uh it is a very different style
of fighting but absolutely it’s
applicable and one of the things that
this guy brings to the table mic which
is very unusual is a very powerful front
leg attack
it’s unorthodox as it is if he works his
way
up to the higher level of talent oh
that’s a knife just that’s it that how
good was that well he will work his way
up to the higher level of talent and
that’s what that young man has it’s very
unusual his incredible leg dexterity and
kicking technique right over the
shoulder Mike so he didn’t see it coming
Dan stitchin had no idea that kick was
on the way because the way that that
Stephen Thompson placed it it was blind
to him until it came over the shoulder
and then landed on the face
really a beautiful beautiful attack he
is fun to watch the Wonder Boy
Stephen Thompson
he is just I mean when you talk about
Dominic as a kick as a kickboxer and a
world champion kickboxer five-time world
champion combined 57-0 kickboxing record
which included 40 Knockouts eight and
one as a mixed martial artist of course
trained by his father they call his
father the toughest man in South
Carolina incredible that he was able to
get that kind of a record at only 31
years of age along with an 8-1 MMA
record learning skills of MMA getting
better at his takedown defense getting
better at his Jiu Jitsu but his bread
and butter is his kickboxing you see one
two three four that’s that’s when you
know a fighter was really putting
together some some nice work and that’s
what Thompson’s been doing there’s that
front leg sidekick to the body too
big
trouble yep
Thompson
finishes Robert Whitaker
wow and that is the Stephen Thompson
that we saw in his kickboxing career
it’s amazing that this kid decided to
get into MMA and work through all the
difficulties involved in transitioning
from being a kickboxer to being a mixed
martial arts fighter but we’re seeing it
all on this into Focus now
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