Watch: Stephen Thompson posts an adorable video of him fighting his students ahead of UFC 264
Stephen Thompson is widely regarded as one of the nicest UFC fighters for a reason. Wonderboy is in the middle of a training camp for a high-stakes fight that will take place a little over three weeks from now. However, the anticipation of the upcoming fight did not stop Thompson from getting into an adorable handicap match with his young martial arts students.
In a video uploaded on Stephen Thompson's Twitter account, Wonderboy is seen taking on a bunch of his students, who eventually overpowered and defeated their teacher in a one-on-many handicap match.
No.4 ranked UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson (16-4-1D MMA, 11-4-1D UFC) is scheduled to fight No.2 ranked Gilbert Burns (19-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) at the UFC 264 pay-per-view event. Thompson, a former two-time title challenger, has recently defeated rising prospects Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal in his last two fights. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers to ever compete in the UFC, Stephen Thompson is known for his elusive footwork and unorthodox karate-style fighting.
Thompson's opponent Gilbert Burns is also a former title challenger. Burns fell short of pulling off an upset win over champion Kamaru Usman in his last fight at UFC 258. A world championship-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter, Burns also possesses respectable striking and bonafide knockout power.
Stephen Thompson is the only fighter among the top four of the UFC welterweight division who has never fought Kamaru Usman. Every other fighter at the front end of the top ten has lost to the champ in the past. A potential win over Gilbert Burns will most likely put Thompson in the title discussion.
Stephen Thompson explains how he can beat Gilbert Burns
Long before the fight between Stephen Thompson and Gilbert Burns was even considered, Wonderboy gave his thoughts on Burns as an opponent and explained how he would prepare for a well-rounded fighter like Gilbert Burns.
While breaking down the top ten welterweight fighters for MMA On Point in December 2020, Stephen Thompson admitted that going to the ground or engaging in a tactical battle against Gilbert Burns would most likely yield devastating results for most fighters. However, he stated that getting in the best shape and fighting an ugly battle could be the right way to approach a potential fight against Gilbert Burns.
"...Power in his hands, one-hitter quitter, which we have seen before. He is a high-level grappler. Could I compete with this guy on the ground? Heck no. I've got the reach on him. So that's gonna play a part and it's almost to the point where it's like, 'you know what? I'm just gonna get in the best shape I can, I'm gonna go out there, wing it and have some fun. With this guy, if you're gonna think too much, yoou're gonna go nowhere," Stephen Thompson said.