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In what could make for a thrilling welterweight clash down the road, Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov recently butted heads online.
Late last year, Thompson got his name back in the win column with a thrilling TKO victory over Kevin Holland after four rounds of hard-hitting action.
‘Wonderboy’ has since revealed that he was initially offered Shavkat Rakhmonov for that show but turned it down. Thompson’s reasoning was simple: he needed to work more on his grappling to be a complete threat to someone like ‘Nomad’.
Prior to the Holland win, ‘Wonderboy’ came badly unstuck against two high-level grapplers in Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. Both men used their grappling prowess to nullify much of Thompson’s elite-level stand-up game.
“Who’s Grappler Now?” – Shavkat Rakhmonov To Stephen Thompson
At UFC 285, ‘Nomad’ picked up a third-round submission win over Geoff Neal.
After the bout, he called out No.2-ranked welterweight contender Colby Covington. ‘Chaos’ has been inactive since an alleged altercation with Jorge Masvidal soon after their UFC 272 clash last March.
Now, it appears Rakhmonov is gunning for more than one fighter in the welterweight division’s top 10. In reference to ‘Wonderboy’s comments about not wanting to fight grapplers, ‘Nomad’ tweeted “Who’s grappler now?”
In response, Thompson, while complementary of Rakhmonov’s UFC 285 performance, stuck by his stance on the matter.
“All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love!” Thompson wrote.
All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love! ???? https://t.co/Gr3zX0oCbu— Wonderboy (@WonderboyMMA) March 6, 2023
While ‘Wonderboy’ seems dismissive of changing his stance for now, ‘Nomad’ continuing to rise through the ranks could ultimately change his mind. Thompson has not challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship in over six years. At age 40, should he want to get near title contention, Thompson may need to start taking some risks again soon.
Do you think Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov could still happen in the near future?
In what could make for a thrilling welterweight clash down the road, Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov recently butted heads online.
Late last year, Thompson got his name back in the win column with a thrilling TKO victory over Kevin Holland after four rounds of hard-hitting action.
‘Wonderboy’ has since revealed that he was initially offered Shavkat Rakhmonov for that show but turned it down. Thompson’s reasoning was simple: he needed to work more on his grappling to be a complete threat to someone like ‘Nomad’.
Prior to the Holland win, ‘Wonderboy’ came badly unstuck against two high-level grapplers in Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. Both men used their grappling prowess to nullify much of Thompson’s elite-level stand-up game.
“Who’s Grappler Now?” – Shavkat Rakhmonov To Stephen Thompson
At UFC 285, ‘Nomad’ picked up a third-round submission win over Geoff Neal.
After the bout, he called out No.2-ranked welterweight contender Colby Covington. ‘Chaos’ has been inactive since an alleged altercation with Jorge Masvidal soon after their UFC 272 clash last March.
Now, it appears Rakhmonov is gunning for more than one fighter in the welterweight division’s top 10. In reference to ‘Wonderboy’s comments about not wanting to fight grapplers, ‘Nomad’ tweeted “Who’s grappler now?”
In response, Thompson, while complementary of Rakhmonov’s UFC 285 performance, stuck by his stance on the matter.
“All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love!” Thompson wrote.
All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love! ???? https://t.co/Gr3zX0oCbu
— Wonderboy (@WonderboyMMA) March 6, 2023[/quote]
While ‘Wonderboy’ seems dismissive of changing his stance for now, ‘Nomad’ continuing to rise through the ranks could ultimately change his mind. Thompson has not challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship in over six years. At age 40, should he want to get near title contention, Thompson may need to start taking some risks again soon.
Do you think Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov could still happen in the near future?
Click here to view the article.
Late last year, Thompson got his name back in the win column with a thrilling TKO victory over Kevin Holland after four rounds of hard-hitting action.
‘Wonderboy’ has since revealed that he was initially offered Shavkat Rakhmonov for that show but turned it down. Thompson’s reasoning was simple: he needed to work more on his grappling to be a complete threat to someone like ‘Nomad’.
Prior to the Holland win, ‘Wonderboy’ came badly unstuck against two high-level grapplers in Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. Both men used their grappling prowess to nullify much of Thompson’s elite-level stand-up game.
“Who’s Grappler Now?” – Shavkat Rakhmonov To Stephen Thompson
At UFC 285, ‘Nomad’ picked up a third-round submission win over Geoff Neal.
After the bout, he called out No.2-ranked welterweight contender Colby Covington. ‘Chaos’ has been inactive since an alleged altercation with Jorge Masvidal soon after their UFC 272 clash last March.
Now, it appears Rakhmonov is gunning for more than one fighter in the welterweight division’s top 10. In reference to ‘Wonderboy’s comments about not wanting to fight grapplers, ‘Nomad’ tweeted “Who’s grappler now?”
In response, Thompson, while complementary of Rakhmonov’s UFC 285 performance, stuck by his stance on the matter.
“All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love!” Thompson wrote.
All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love! ???? https://t.co/Gr3zX0oCbu— Wonderboy (@WonderboyMMA) March 6, 2023
While ‘Wonderboy’ seems dismissive of changing his stance for now, ‘Nomad’ continuing to rise through the ranks could ultimately change his mind. Thompson has not challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship in over six years. At age 40, should he want to get near title contention, Thompson may need to start taking some risks again soon.
Do you think Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov could still happen in the near future?
Late last year, Thompson got his name back in the win column with a thrilling TKO victory over Kevin Holland after four rounds of hard-hitting action.
‘Wonderboy’ has since revealed that he was initially offered Shavkat Rakhmonov for that show but turned it down. Thompson’s reasoning was simple: he needed to work more on his grappling to be a complete threat to someone like ‘Nomad’.
Prior to the Holland win, ‘Wonderboy’ came badly unstuck against two high-level grapplers in Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. Both men used their grappling prowess to nullify much of Thompson’s elite-level stand-up game.
“Who’s Grappler Now?” – Shavkat Rakhmonov To Stephen Thompson
At UFC 285, ‘Nomad’ picked up a third-round submission win over Geoff Neal.
After the bout, he called out No.2-ranked welterweight contender Colby Covington. ‘Chaos’ has been inactive since an alleged altercation with Jorge Masvidal soon after their UFC 272 clash last March.
Now, it appears Rakhmonov is gunning for more than one fighter in the welterweight division’s top 10. In reference to ‘Wonderboy’s comments about not wanting to fight grapplers, ‘Nomad’ tweeted “Who’s grappler now?”
In response, Thompson, while complementary of Rakhmonov’s UFC 285 performance, stuck by his stance on the matter.
“All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love!” Thompson wrote.
All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love! ???? https://t.co/Gr3zX0oCbu
— Wonderboy (@WonderboyMMA) March 6, 2023[/quote]
While ‘Wonderboy’ seems dismissive of changing his stance for now, ‘Nomad’ continuing to rise through the ranks could ultimately change his mind. Thompson has not challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship in over six years. At age 40, should he want to get near title contention, Thompson may need to start taking some risks again soon.
Do you think Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov could still happen in the near future?
Click here to view the article.
