“That’s a lot of these gyms where they go out there and try to beat the crap out of each other. I’ve been to some gyms where they’re wearing the UFC MMA gloves going all out knocking each other out, and that’s just ridiculous,” he said. “It’s why a lot of these guys are young and they don’t have any chins anymore. They’re career is gone because they’ve beaten the crap out of each other. You cannot condition the brain.”
Thompson hasn’t been knocked out in 13 professional MMA bouts, and in eight UFC appearances, has never absorbed more significant strikes than his opponent. The heady approach to training was instilled in “Wonderboy” long before his first cagefighting foray. Under the guidance of his father, Ray Thompson, at Team Upstate Karate, erring on the side of caution has always been the norm, even as the younger Thompson compiled a 57-0 kickboxing ledger.
“It’s something that we’ve always done in our gym. We’ve always trained smart. My dad’s been training kickboxers since as long as long as I can remember -- and world champions, really good guys... Whenever you spar, you want to push each other. You can hit hard to the body but keep it light to the head. Once you lose that jaw, that chin, it’s almost impossible to get that back,” he said. “You can’t get that back. That’s something that’s kind of stuck with us until now. “
Those that aren’t on board with that philosophy are quickly shown the door.
“ Some people listen and some people don’t. Those guys that don’t, they’re not welcome in the gym. We don’t want people getting hurt. We don’t want to be that gym where you feel like you have to fend for your life every time you step on that mat,” Thompson said. “...You’ve got guys coming in late in the game, maybe they were the man in another sport, they come in and they feel like they have something to prove every time they step out on the mat. That’s not what being a martial artist is all about.
