It was a high-pressure outing for Warren, still in search of his first win after four GLORY appearances. Those losses came at light-heavyweight and spurred him to drop to middleweight, which he feels his frame is more suited to.
This was therefore a different Warren Thompson in every sense of the phrase. He was physically different, entering the ring in the best shape of his career, and he was also mentally different, displaying a determination and willpower which wasn't always showcased in his previous performances.
The fight quickly became a war. Thompson's pushed forwards constantly and Lemaire was there to meet him every time. Thompson went with high-volume punching, finishing with kicks to the leg. Lemaire was more measured in his output, looking to land clean counters.
Although the first round was close, advantage lay with Thompson after one of his punches visibly rocked Lemaire. The second round was a brutal battle and so closely matched that it surely made hard work for the judges' to pick a winner.
There was everything to play for in the third and they went for it, Thompson continuing with his punching barrages and Lemaire doing beautiful work with his trademark counter knee. Both fighters took damage at times and a finish by either of them would not have been a surprise. Instead they gritted it out to the final bell in a war which they can both be proud of.
It was a close fight but the judges felt they had seen enough to make a clear decision. All three of them saw Thompson as the winner, handing him his first victory in GLORY and marking his entry into the middleweight division in the best possible fashion.
Warren Thompson (14-8-1) def. Mike Lemaire (18-4-0), Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
