Welterweight fighter Stephen Thompson is one of the most likable personalities in the UFC.
Along with his striking prowess, ‘Wonderboy’ is also known for being very respectful and soft spoken. The 38-year-old has also been nicknamed ‘NMF’ (Nicest Motherf****r) by the MMA community for his politeness towards fans and fighters alike.
One instance of Thompson’s niceness was seen by the public during the build-up to his rematch with former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
As can be seen in the hilarious video below, Woodley was grilling Thompson but the former kickboxer, instead of engaging in a trash-talking session, simply asked why ‘The Chosen One’ was being a ‘mean guy’.
“That’s alright. man. I don’t know why you gotta be so mean, man. This guy is so mean,” said Stephen Thompson.
Stephen Thompson competes in the UFC’s 170-pound division and has a professional MMA record of 16-4-1. The 38-year-old made his UFC debut back at UFC 143 in February 2012. Thompson knocked out Dan Stittgen in the first round of the debut fight with a head kick and won the ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus.
The elite striker lost his next fight to Matt Brown via a decision at UFC 145. ‘Wonderboy’ bounced back hard from the loss and went on a seven-fight winning streak that culminated in a fight with Woodley for the welterweight crown at UFC 205.
The bout was a back-and-forth battle that ended in a majority draw. It was declared the ‘Fight of the Night’ and both fighters took home a bonus of $50,000.
The two fighters faced each other again at UFC 209. Thompson went on to lose the rematch to Woodley via a majority decision, with the three judges scoring the contest 48-47, 47-47 and 48-47.
A win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 can make Stephen Thompson the front-runner for a title shot
Stephen Thompson is scheduled to take on Gilbert Burns at UFC 264. The 38-year-old’s last two wins were against legitimate contenders in Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal.
If ‘Wonderboy’ wins this fight, he will extend his winning streak to three and will have a solid argument for a shot at Kamaru Usman’s title.