Everything seemed to be going swimmingly for Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in his UFC 307 clash against Joaquin Buckley. Until ‘New Mansa’ caught the veteran with a leaping right hook in the final round of their welterweight clash. And Conor McGregor, who, like ‘Wonderboy,’ is a sublime striker himself, has some words of encouragement and advice for the 41-year-old, whose retirement is very much on the horizon.

Replying to a tweet by ‘Wonderboy’ where he thanked fans for their support, ‘Mac’ suggested the veteran make a slight change to his style and be willing to stand and trade with his opponents.

“My brother Stephen, STAND YOUR GROUND! You are more accurate, faster, more skill, faster eye. Stand your ground and fire! Skipping back for what? What are we skipping back for? Get them hurt first then you can skip and dance around. But hurt them first. Stand and fire missiles! You have an incredible array! Stand your ground and trust yourself! Rest up brother! Unlucky in there!” McGregor tweeted.

‘Wonderboy’, of course, has more of a point-fighting style that depends heavily on fancy footwork, lighting quick speed, stellar accuracy, and distance management. But Conor McGregor thinks that the American would be a much more dangerous opponent if he could just use his incredible striking abilities and accuracy up close with his opponents.

It is worth noting of course, that that is exactly what the Irishman’s fighting style is. And to very good effect, making him the biggest superstar by far in the history of the sport.  Stephen Thompson certainly has the pinpoint accuracy and the stellar counterstriking game to be able to pull it off, even though he is not a young man and seems on a downward slope.

Conor McGregor backs Stephen Thompson during  unprecedented losing streak

Calling ‘Wonderboy’ “an all-time great” in a subsequent tweet, the Irishman wanted to see Thompson “stop people handily.” And maybe the American does need some tune-up and could do with ‘Mac’s advice given his recent skid in form. After all, ‘Wonderboy’ is 1-4 in his last five fights.

To be fair, his three previous losses have come against the creme de la creme of the division- to reigning champ Belal Muhammad, undefeated boogeyman, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and the ever-dangerous Gilbert Burns. To be fair, two of those three fights saw his opponent grapple Thompson and hold him on the ground. And some fear that the American doesn’t have the same type of athleticism and quickness as he once had.

Of course, in the Buckley fight, Thompson was doing great, countering ‘New Mansa’ very effectively, even having landed a big kick just prior to being folded by the leaping punch. In short, he wasn’t showing his age. And since ‘Wonderboy’ remains remarkably disciplined and in shape, he does have at least a handful of fights left in him. But father time, of course, remains undefeated. What are your thoughts on Conor McGregor’s advice to Stephen Thompson after UFC 307?