Stephen
Thompson recently got to spend some time with Conor
McGregor in Las Vegas, and it was an interesting experience, to
say the least.
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The fighters share the same management, and “Wonderboy” was able to
work with the former UFC two-division champion as he prepares to
face Michael
Chandler after coaching on “The Ultimate Fighter 31.” No date
has been set for the fight, but it will be McGregor’s first
appearance since breaking his leg against Dustin
Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. When it happens, Thompson
expects to see some familiar elements return to the Irish star’s
game.
“For someone to come off of an injury like that, his mindset is
like it didn’t even happen,” Thompson said in an interview with
Submission Radio. “He’s getting back to his roots, his karate. He’s
never trained in karate, but he’s trained with a lot of karate
fighters and that’s where he gets a lot of his movement from. For
instance, when he fought Jose Aldo, his
movement, his wide stance, his speed was on point — he’s back to
that. At a heavier weight, which is scary.
“If you ever shook Conor’s hand, the dude’s got a bigger fist than
I do, he’s got like a melon of a fist. Like what the heck, man. No
wonder he puts people out with that one-hitter quitter punch. But
he’s back to his movement,” Thompson continued. “I think he
listened to the fans. His last two fights with Poirier, he was kind
of in that boxer mentality, he’s got to get back to his roots of
movement, and that’s what we’re going to see from Conor the next
time he steps out there.”
Much has been made of the mass McGregor has apparently added while
filming for the “Roadhouse” remake. A recent picture posted on
Thompson’s Instagram fueled speculation regarding just how big
McGregor might actually be. According to Thompson, McGregor has put
on some size, but the former welterweight title challenger still
has an edge in total weight.
“We took a picture together. He looks bigger than I am, but I’m
actually bigger than him,” Thompson said. “He’s around 185, maybe
180. I’m around 195 — the heaviest I’ve been in a while, actually —
but he knows how to inch forward and make himself look bigger. It’s
pretty cool to watch. I would never think of that. That’s his
persona, man. He carries it very well.”
With McGregor in the midst of filming for “TUF 31,” Thompson was
able to witness the larger-than-life personality of “The Notorious”
one firsthand. He says it’s something that definitely becomes
amplified when cameras are around.
“You see Conor fight and you see everything he says on social
media, but to be able to hang out with him the entire time, it was
cool, man. We’ve crossed paths many times in the past, we’ve fought
on the same cards. He’s part of my management — and probably owns
some of my management, I think, so we would cross paths all the
time,” Thompson said. “But to be able to hang out with him that
entire week, it was cool. It’s funny how he can turn it on. He
knows when a camera is on him. For some reason, it’s like a super
power… he turns into that Conor persona. It’s pretty cool to
watch. He’s a showman for sure. On and off screen, he’s very, very
nice. It’s just something that switches.”