Stephen Thompson has been bulking up for his title rematch against Tyron Woodley.
“Wonderboy” is fighting Woodley this Saturday (March 4) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title. Woodley remained the 170-pound champion when his first bout with Thompson ended in a majority draw.
If there’s one major takeaway Thompson had in his Nov. 2016 bout, it’s the strength of “The Chosen One.” Woodley had strong top control and had a strength advantage in the clinch.
Thompson appeared on Luke Thomas’ SiriusXM radio show recently and he discussed hitting the weights and packing on some more muscle in preparation for his title rematch. “Wonderboy” is confident that the added weight will be to his benefit:
“You know, he’s a very powerful guy. Very strong, especially in the clinch position. I was walking around very light, around 182 (pounds). Before I fought that night, I weighed myself. I was 178. So I was very small out there inside the Octagon. After feeling his strength in his clinch positions, I knew that I had to walk around at a heavier weight just because he’s a big welterweight. He walks around over 200 pounds and I could definitely feel that out there during the fight. We’re definitely prepared and ready for it this time.”
