Wonderboy, What is the Secret to your Power?
Movement.
From the beginning of mixed style fighting there was always the idea of “Style vs Style”. Sumo Vs Boxer, Karate Vs. Shoot Fighter, Muay Thai vs Brazillian Jiu Jitsu ETC... During that time millions of copies of Black Belt magazine had kids inspired by the movie “The Karate Kid” talking both in the Dojo and the School yard.
Everyone believed that the full contact Karate guys had an edge. The very first UFC the majority of martial artist were under the belief that either the Karate fighter or the Tae Kwon Do representative Patrick Smith were going to meet in the finals.
In reality, neither of them made it out of the first round of the tournament. Why? The answer if we go back and look is even though Karate and Tae Kwon Do both have great foot work in practice. Problem being neither of these combatants used it to their advantage.
Move forward 13 years to May 23rd 2006 at UFC 98, Lyoto Machida vs Current light heavyweight champion and former Michigan State standout Rashad Evans. It was on this night that Lyoto proved that Karate used effectively could be dangerous in MMA.
In the second round using a lunging reverse punch or Oi-Zuki The Dragon stunned Evans and put him flat on the mat, Lyoto chased and put Evens away with a flurry on the fence. Lyoto captured the title and it all started with a little Karate.
Later on, Lyoto used a well time front kick to the face of hall of famer Randy Couture which had everyone explode and the reply on all media outlets repeating for days. Calling it the “Crane Kick” Ala Mr.Miagi and the Karate kid movie.
Lyoto lost steam as he aged and many fans put Karate out of their minds. Until In 2012 a new challenger appeared and his name was Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. An undefeated kickboxer of 58 Kickboxing matches (amateur and pro) steps into the Octagon for the first time. His stance is oddly familiar to anyone who watched Machida or had taken a few Karate Classes.
As it turns out this kid Wonderboy can CRACK! Winning his very first fight in the Octagon via Head Kick Knockout! Then Stephen goes on an absolute tear, throwing beatdowns and head kicks in every which direction, from every which direction.
Check out Wonderboy in TOP form!
He comes out and beats soon to be middleweight champ Robert Whittaker. He beats Jake Ellenberger, Johnny Hendrix and Rory McDonald. All the while winning 3 performance of the night bonuses in five fights. He is beating all of the top of the food chain fighters.
What is amazing is all those fighters mentioned, fight differently. Not just slightly different. They are vastly different in their approach to fighting. Hendrix is a big wrestler, He meets Wonderboy and gets stifled. Rory McDonald is a Phenom in the striking game, he gets out struck by the Wonderboy.
Ellenberger is a Scrapper and just throws bombs and will wrestle if he doesn’t like what he gets in return. When he met Wonderboy he was ranked in the top 10.
Ellenberger goes in and gets Turned off like a light. Yet not with a punch, with a beautiful Kick! Known as a Spinning Hook Kick. Karate stuff you see in movies. Not only did Stephen land this kick but he landed it twice in under two minutes.
Stephen had earned himself a title fight with Tyrone Woodley and at the end of the spectacular match, many had Stephen up on the cards. As it turned out two Judges had the fight a draw and one had it in favor of Woodley. Thus Creating a majority draw.
Check out Wonderboy's instructional dedicated to Mastering Movement! Click Learn More!
For those unfamiliar with protocol of Championship fights, in the event of a draw the champion retains the title. A Rematch happened with another spectacular fight but this time the judges were all in favor of Woodley.
After his two title fights Thompson went on to fight the dangerous well rounded fighter Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal is known for his power and overall cage prowess. Jorge is notorious for wanting to stand and bang it out with opponents. After one round with the Wonderboy, Jorge came out and decided to try and wrestle.
At the end of the 15 minutes, Wonderboy scored knockdowns in every round and left Jorge swinging for air after most of the exchanges. It was a landslide victory for Thompson against one of the best in the world.
His movement and distance control makes him one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet and the UFC has him currently ranked as the #6 Welterweight in the world.
Luckily for all of us flat footed fighters out there Wonderboy has come to the rescue. He has created an instructional set that addresses movement and striking. How to move with angles and drills to train them.
Some of the topics that he covers are : Stance, Footwork , Drills, Kicks and Flow (Putting it all together). Stephen is incredibly detail oriented and considering how many fights he has had both kickboxing and MMA and the success that he has had doing it he has had plenty of experience working out the kinks in his training system.
Check out his new instructional here!