Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson's Final UFC 143 Blog

We touched down in Vegas this week and with a few days left before my fight I am excited and ready to make the most of this enormous opportunity. I've had plenty of time to rest and work on cutting the rest of the weight. I'm at 179lbs and I feel really good, I don't feel tired or drained at all. When I first got the call I was around 200lbs because it was right after the holidays, so I'm really happy with where my weight is at.

We've been working out everyday since we got to Vegas, but the workouts have been very light. Basically the purpose of the sessions is to break a sweat and stay loose. When I first got here I had an opportunity to workout at the TapouT Training Center which was a really cool experience. I'm just making myself at home and trying to remain as comfortable as possible, as if I was at home. The UFC has taken really good care of us and they make sure that any commitments I have to take care of are done as quickly as possible.

Being that this is my first fight in the UFC I plan on going to an after party for a little while. I have a lot of friends and family here with me in Vegas and it's important to me that I spend time with them. I am very appreciative of everyone that has come out here to support me and I believe they deserve my attention and time. Vegas can be fun, I fought here before in a Kickboxing event, nothing near the magnitude of the UFC, but it was fun none the less.

Another plus for me is having my dad, Ray Thompson, my brother-in-law Carlos Machado and my wrestling coach Thomas Lee in my corner for this fight. My brother, my sister and other family members are also out here. Some of out students and their families have also joined us and will be on hand to lend their support. I can't stress it enough; having all of these people behind me really keeps me focused and keeps me from thinking too much about the fight.

Not looking past this fight, but as long as I come out of this fight injury free I'll be ready to fight in March or April. That doesn't mean I wouldn't accept another short notice fight because I certainly would, but it seems as though UFC fighters get about 3 or 4 fights a year. It's not like kickboxing where I was in a tournament every weekend. That's the biggest difference between the UFC and everyone else. They compensate you well enough so you can have time in between fights to heal and then prepare yourself for your next bout.

I really have to thank Lex McMahon, MC Hammer and everyone at Alchemist Management. Those guys take really good care of me. Of course I have to thank everyone at Upstate Karate and Pitch Black MMA for all the years of support. I'd also like to thank my sponsor Venum as well. You can check me out on my website (WonderBoyMMA.com) or follow me on Twitter @wonderboymma.

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