"Wonderboy retiring" - Fans fear the end of Stephen Thompson's career as actor Jack Black shows up to support 

Ahead of UFC 296, Stephen Thompson will have the support of world-renowned actor Jack Black. The pair were spotted together backstage, where it was heavily implied by Black himself that he would walk 'Wonderboy' to the octagon. However, the sighting of Black has some fans fearful an impending 'Wonderboy' retirement.

Regardless, Thompson seems to have no intention of retiring. He hopes to secure his third crack at welterweight gold by scoring a win tonight.

One fan wondered if Black's presence is a sign that Thompson will retire after the fight:

"Is this a sign that Wonderboy plans on retiring after the fight???"

The sentiment was echoed by another fan:

"Wonderboy retiring."

Yet another comment made a similar prediction:

"Ah damn, we're getting a wonderboy retirement"

Fans continued fearing that 'Wonderboy' is set to walk away from the sport:

"Oh he's retiring huh"

Fan reactions to Jack Black's presence in Stephen Thompson's corner

It isn't the first time that the pair have joined forces. Prior to Thompson's bout with Kevin Holland, which was defined by both men agreeing to avoid wrestling and grappling altogether, the two took part in a humorous video where Black demonstrated a front kick.

"So, Wonderboy, what you wanna do is you wanna snap f***ing high. But you never take your eyes off target. Locked on, target."

Check out Jack Black teaching Stephen Thompson his front kick in the clip below:

'Wonderboy' ultimately won his fight against Holland after a back-and-forth affair. The high-level karateka scored a fourth-round TKO in a Fight of the Night winner. The bout is also notable for being one of the instances when an MMA corner threw in the towel.

Now, the two-time welterweight title challenger will take on Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296 mere minutes from now in a bout he is hoping will propel him to another title fight.