May 24th, 2013

The above picture is one of my favorite pictures of Stephen Thompson. When I recently spoke with Stephen I asked him about what Bible verse was his favorite and he told me it was:Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the L ord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." He quotes this right before he goes into the octagon. Stephen said that no matter if he wins or loses that he knows God has a plan for him and he's open to whatever that plan is.

Here are a few more questions that I asked when Stephen and I talked.

MMABeats: Who would you consider the biggest influence in your life?
Stephen: My dad Ray. He is always very upbeat and positive and always supportive. He's someone to really look up to.

MMABeats: How are you going to approach training for your fight with Nah-Shon Burrell?

Stephen: I'll train hard like I always do. When I find out who my opponent is I find out what their strengths are and then I start training and getting myself stronger in their areas of strength.

MMABeats: What's the hardest part of training camp for you?

Stephen: Training camp is always hard. The thing most of the guys I call in to train with me don't realize is that I not only train two to three times a day but I teach adult and kids Karate five to six hours each day on top pf those training sessions.What keeps me going is being able to teach the kids in my classes the same values I was taught,as a kid, by my dad. Such as self confidence, modesty,respect and integrity. That's what keeps a smile on my face. It's an honor to be a role model for them.

Here are a few sponsor and training partner shoutouts Stephen wanted me to include:
Keith Johnson 170
Mike "The Man" King 185
Carlos Machado
My brother Evan Thompson
Upstate Karate and Team Pitch Black.
and last but not least
Mr. and Mrs. T aka Dad and Mom. I appreciate and want to thank you for everything you've done to make me the man I am today.