Stephen Thomson has seemingly formed a bond with Conor McGregor while helping the Irishman coach season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).
‘Wonderboy’ recently claimed that McGregor might incorporate some fan-suggested changes into his game plan for his upcoming fight against rival TUF coach Michael Chandler.
Stephen Thompson noted that ‘The Notorious’ has sported an orthodox boxing stance in his recent fights, which is a stark contrast to the wide karate-like southpaw stance best seen in his fights against Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez.
According to ‘Wonderboy,’ McGregor will listen to fans and return to his karate stance in his next octagon outing. The 40-year-old told Submission Radio:
“He’s [Conor McGregor] getting back to his roots, his karate… So, for instance, when he fought Jose Aldo, his movement, his wide stance, his speed was on point. Like, he’s back to that, man, at a heavier weight. Which is scary.”
“You’re gonna see a better [Conor]. I think he’s listened to the fans. You know, his last two fights with Poirier was kind of in that boxer mentality. He’s gotta get back to his roots of movement, and that’s what we’re gonna see from Conor next time he steps out there.”
Catch Thompson’s comments below:
When Henry Cejudo warned Conor McGregor about the karate stance
Conor McGregor has gone 1-3 in the UFC since a crossover boxing fight against Floyd Mayweather in 2017, which the Irishman also lost via a tenth-round TKO. While many fans noticed McGregor adapting a traditional boxing stance in his recent outings, former UFC double champ Henry Cejudo saw it differently.
The Irishman suffered a devastating second-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in 2021, with ‘The Diamond’ decimating the Irishman’s lead leg with calf kicks. According to Cejudo, McGregor’s karate stance was to be blamed for the loss against Poirier. ‘Triple C’ said in a previous Twitter video:
“Conor McGregor you cannot just continue to keep pressing people off the karate stance. It’s the same reason why I came away from it. Even though Daniel Cormier says I have the best karate stance in MMA, I had to lean away from it because it is a little too dangerous… So if I was to give him some advice, I’d tell him, ‘Man, continue with the same stance but just become better at distance.’“
Catch Cejudo’s comments below: