MANILA, Philippines – Welterweight contender Stephen Thompson believes that it is a dawn of a new era in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as he sees strikers will dominate the organization's ranks.
In the constantly-evolving sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), many fighters and coaches are still striving to discover what training formula results in consistent success.
Wrestling has been often regarded as the best foundation in MMA as numerous wrestlers transitioned easily into the sport, including Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Brock Lesnar, Chuck Liddell, and Frankie Edgar.
There was even a period in the UFC when most of its division titleholders had collegiate wrestling pedigrees.
Throughout the course of the promotion's history, strikers and grapplers have shared the Octagon on numerous occasions.
With grapplers getting the best out of the strikers most of the time, stand-up specialists are currently under the spotlight courtesy of the recent rise of Holly Holm and Conor McGregor.
Holm's second-round demolition of Ronda Rousey last November is perhaps the finest example of a high-level striker utilizing her leverage to systematically pick apart an elite grappler.
The 34-year-old native of Albuquerque, New Mexico knocked out a world-class judo practitioner like Rousey with a left head kick and polished her off with follow-up shots on the ground.
Meanwhile, the loudmouth McGregor made sure that he could walk the talk by winning 17 of his 19 victories by knockout.
McGregor became the undisputed UFC featherweight champion by finishing Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds with a counter left hook this past December.
Thompson, who comes from a full-contact kickboxing and Kenpo Karate background, expects that the trend will continue inside the UFC cage.
"There are a lot of good wrestlers in the UFC, but the game is evolving. It's going back to the strikers, I believe. The guys who can keep it on their feet and got enough wrestling to defend that takedown," he told Rappler.
In his last two wins, Thompson routed two top-notch wrestlers to cement his position as the No. 3 contender for the UFC welterweight championship.
Thompson wiped out Jake Ellenberger with a first-round spinning hook kick in July 2015, while he obliterated former 170-pound kingpin Johny Hendricks earlier this month by sending his opponent down to the mat with a thrusting kick to the chest before punctuating with a volley of unanswered punches in the first round.
"That is where I feel most comfortable. This is what I grew up doing. I have a Karate background. I competed in kickboxing for many years," Thompson said. "I can keep the fight where I feel most comfortable, which is the stand-up."
Thompson is in the Philippines for a 5-day promotional tour and will host an open workout on Thursday, February 25, at SM Mall of Asia's Music Hall in Pasay City.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Stephen Thompson (<a href="https://twitter.com/WonderboyMMA">@WonderboyMMA</a>) invites everyone to his open workout on Thursday. <a href="https://twitter.com/RapplerSports">@RapplerSports</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFConCignal?src=hash">#UFConCignal</a> <a href="https://t.co/YycZxzBP26">pic.twitter.com/YycZxzBP26</a></p>— NISSI ICASIANO (@Nissi_Icasiano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nissi_Icasiano/status/701766767534735360">February 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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– Rappler.com