WATCH: UFC star Stephen Thompson turns bus driver to pick up school kids to train karate

Stephen Thompson dons the role of a friendly bus driver to ferry children to the Ray Thompson's Upstate Karate™, ahead of his next match at UFC 296

WATCH: UFC star Stephen Thompson turns bus driver to pick up school kids to train karate

Stephen Thompson is seen driving bus, escoritng children to Karate Institute (Source: Twitter)

UFC 296 will be live from the famed T-Mobile Arena, on Dec. 16. Headlining the event will be champion Leon Edwards facing Colby Covington in a welterweight title bout. Alexandre Pantoja faces Brandon Royval for a flyweight championship in the co-main event. Also alongside, Stephen Thompson tests his mettle by accepting a bout against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov.

The promotion has ceremoniously released several videos ahead of the star-studded event. “UFC 296 Embedded: Vlog Series – Episode 1” sees Leon Edwards and Paddy Pimblett at the UFC Performance Institute. Meanwhile, “Wonderboy” Thompson is seen driving a bus to ferry children to his Karate lessons. Driving the bus, he says:

So what we're doing right now, we are doing our after-school program. Me and four others get in our Upstate Karate bus. And we pick up kids from school, and we're bringing them back to the karate school....We feed them snacks and get them ready for their karate classes during the day.
Stephen Thompson via UFC 296 Embedded
YouTube video

The institution in conversation is Ray Thompson’s Upstate Karate™, where the fighter mentions conducting sparring lessons for the day. The segment was adjacently released with the  UFC 296 “Countdown”.

FS Video

In the vlog series, champion Pantoja is seen training in Florida in the meantime. On the other hand, Covington showcased his humble abode. The fighter recently also displayed Donald Trump‘s Ex-Presidential international property (Florida) to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, where he played golf.

Stephen Thompson expects Shavkat Rakhmonov to opt for a pounding at UFC 296

Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson faces undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov on the main card of UFC 296. He recently dissected the opponent’s fighting style at length. The event is to take place at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Rakhmonov has been a rising phenom within the promotion, with all corresponding wins under his belt.

Stephen Thompson weighs in on Shavkat Rakhmonov's tactics for UFC 296
Stephen Thompson weighs in on Shavkat Rakhmonov’s tactics for UFC 296

Rakhmonov has a hundred-percentile finishing rate. His win streak highlights consist of 8 KOs besides 9 submissions. Conversely, Thompson does not expect the opponent to stand and duke it out with him eventually.

Now, do I feel like Shavkat is going to stand there and bang with me? I don’t think so...I think eventually he’s going to shoot. He’s going to shoot in and try to get the fight to the ground obviously. But he’s still a type of guy to try to finish. And I would rather go out on my shield than just somebody hold me there.
Steven Thompson via Submission Radio

The fighter also lauded Rakhmonov’s fight acumen, despite a sure chance at brutal ground-and-pound. Alongside, Thompson referenced his recent skid with Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. Both were consequently awarded the decision, which Thompson mentioned stinging even more. Against Rakhmonov he thus plans to put in all his physical effort and go for a win.

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