Stephen Thompson Parents: Meet Ray Thompson, and Gloria Thompson – Stephen Thompson is a professional MMA fighter and model from the United States of America.
As we speak, he has found himself competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the Welterweight division (UFC).
He is well-known for his Kempo style of karate, which he has practiced since childhood. This karate background is evident in his stance, as his feet are spread wide and he sits wide with his hands low.
Most MMA fighters have a background in wrestling or jiu-jitsu, or striking arts like boxing, muay thai, or other styles of kickboxing.
His wide, karate-style stance allows him to cover ground and launch kicks quickly, which he is known for.
Analysts and fighters have praised him for his ability to stay in range of other fighters while staying out of theirs.
Most fighters keep their hands up in ‘guard’ to avoid being knocked out, but Thompson, like Ji Procházka, keeps their hands very low.
The advantages of a low guard are that your punches and elbows become more difficult to predict, and you are better prepared to defend against takedowns.
Thompson is better suited to keeping his hands low than other fighters who use more traditional MMA stances because his footwork and quick movement reduces the risk of being hit with a clean shot to the head.
Thompson began competing in kickboxing and karate when he was 15 years old. He is a Tetsushin-ry Kempo, American Kickboxing, and Jujutsu black belt. He studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Carlos Machado, his brother-in-law.
He graduated from high school in 2001 and is the Head Instructor of Upstate Karate’s children’s karate program.
Ray, his father, is his trainer and manager. Thompson won 16 amateur kickboxing titles and finished his career with a record of 37 wins, 18 by knockout, and no losses.
On May 15, 2004, he made his professional debut against Kadir Kadri, whom he knocked out in the fifth round.
Thompson traveled to Montreal, Canada on December 14, 2004 to compete against Eric Boudreau at the “La Renaissance du Kickboxing” event. In the fifth round, he won by technical knockout.
Thompson fought Kadir Kadri again on May 21, 2005, at Martial Arts May-Hem 05 in Greenville, South Carolina. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Thompson was set to face Justin Edwards at UFC 143 on February 4, 2012, in place of an injured Mike Stumpf. However, Edwards was forced to leave the game due to an injury and was replaced by Dan Stittgen.
Thompson was scheduled to fight Amir Sadollah at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013. Sadollah, however, withdrew from the fight due to an injury, and was replaced by Nah-Shon Burrell. Thompson was victorious by unanimous decision.
Thompson faced future UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 170 on February 22, 2014. Thompson won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.
Thompson faced Darren Till in the first fight of his new multi-fight contract on May 27, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 130.
On March 23, 2019, Thompson faced former UFC Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 6.
Despite outstriking Pettis for the majority of the fight, Thompson was knocked out in the second round, marking the first time Thompson had been stopped in MMA or kickboxing competition.
Thompson will face Geoff Neal in the main event of UFC Fight Night 183 on December 19, 2020. He was victorious by unanimous decision. This victory earned him the award for Performance of the Night.
Stephen Thompson Parents: Meet Ray Thompson, and Gloria Thompson
His father, Ray Thompson is the owner of Upstate Karate, a karate school in Simpsonville, South Carolina, and a former professional kickboxer. Apart from her name, Gloria Thompson, little is known about his mother.
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