21 June 2023 , 04:50
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Conor McGregor praised Stephen Thompson’s fighting skills as he brought him into The Ultimate Fighter season 31 for a training session.
Thompson, 40, is a two-time former UFC title challenger and top-ranked welterweight contender known for his karate background. ‘Wonderboy’ rolled back the clock in his last fight by putting on a striking showcase against Kevin Holland to pick up his first win in over two years.
McGregor relied on the services of Thompson to help lead a training session on episode four of The Ultimate Fighter season 31. 'Wonderboy' showed off his 37 years of Kempo karate experience by teaching McGregor's team of prospects how to explode in and out of striking distance.
'Notorious' is a big fan of Thompson's style as he said: "Wonderboy is one of the best distance management practitioners in the game. He is a phenomenal athlete, a phenomenal athlete and a phenomenal technician. We’ve got a few days before our next weigh-in, so I wanted to utilise Stephen to get the lads nice and loose and nimble."
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Thompson praised McGregor's mindset and willpower after he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in their July 2021 trilogy fight. 'Wonderboy' thinks McGregor is also an expert in movement like himself and believes the Irishman will revert back to his old karate stance when he fights Michael Chandler in his comeback bout.
"Whenever I talk about guys with that type of movement, Conor is at the top of the list," Thompson said. "Coming here and being able to see Conor do his thing and pick little things here and there that I like to use in my arsenal. It’s an honour for him to think of me to come out here and train with these guys."
McGregor's teammate Lee Hammond thanked Thompson for leading them through the training session as he said: “Stephen Wonderboy is an unbelievable fighter and he’s a really good coach, he can put things across extremely well. It was a very educational session.”
Unfortunately for Team McGregor, Thompson's training session didn't inspire them to their first win on the season as Trevor Wells lost a unanimous decision to Timur Valiev in the latest fight. McGregor is now without a win in four fights as he will coach against his own SBG teammate Brad Katona in the next episode.