Height/Weight/Division:
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) / 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) / Welterweight
Networth:
$3 million
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The Nicest MotherFER Champion, Stephen Thompson is one of the best elite strikers in the welterweight division. It is hard to hate on a nice guy like Thompson but once he is in the ring, he is a savage finisher.
Fighting style
Among the top active welterweights right now, Thompson might have the most unique stance and style. He has a different MMA wide stance and his footwork angle is different. He usually goes side which gives him a better way of striking at awkward angles and easier to evade strikes. Although this type of style could not work for everyone since one needs high-level striking and reflex in order to get away with getting taken down.
Martial Art Background
It is almost obvious that Thompson came from a high-level striking background. Thompson started competing at Kickboxing prior to joining the UFC, he had an undefeated record of 57 wins and 0 losses which is INSANE! It just shows that in terms of striking, Thompson might be the best there is.
UFC Career
Thompson entered the UFC with an undefeated record of 5-0 and showed tremendous promise considering his kickboxing record and how flashy his style is. In his debut, he faced Dan Stittgen where he won via vicious head kick KO.
Unfortunately, Thompson suffered his first MMA loss in his next fight. He was booked against UFC Veteran, Matt Brown who had massive experience competing in the UFC banner.
In the fight, Brown was cautious of Thompson’s stand-up game that his game plan was to bring the fight to the ground. In the first round, Thompson knocked Brown out but woke him up with strikes as revealed by Brown in the post-fight interview. It was a learning lesson for Thompson as well that he needs to be able to work on his wrestling in order to climb at the top.
Title Run
Thompson then on a 7-fight win streak, beating top welterweights like Robert Whittaker (who went on to become a middleweight champion), Johny Hendricks (former welterweight champion), and title contender Rory Macdonald.
Woodley vs Thompson rivalry
After that big win over Rory Macdonald, UFC granted him a title shot against Tyron Woodley. Thompson was going in as the favorite despite being the challenger.
In the first round, Thompson suffered major adversity as Woodley timed to catch a kick that led to a takedown. Woodley proceeded to land strikes in the remainder of the round. Although Thompson still went on to win some rounds and even survived a guillotine choke in the 4th round.
Due to how close the fight was in terms of scoring the round, the judges ruled it as a majority draw and it made sense to run it back.
The rematch was set but unfortunately, the fight did not live up to the hype. It was a chess match with both fighters afraid of overcommitting. It resulted in a lackluster fight with two judges giving it to Thompson.
Thompson was back to climbing the rankings once more, he was booked against Jorge Masvidal where he outstruck him, all three rounds.
Thompson vs Till
A rising undefeated star was making his name, Darren Till where he called out Thompson for a fight. It was a great match-up since both are strikers at the highest level, although the fight was not as exciting as one would expect. Although many thought that the decision was controversial since some thought that Thompson won the fight. It was worth noting that the fight took place on Till’s home soil.
His next fight was against Anthony Pettis where he was a decent favorite going in since Pettis was a natural lightweight, to begin with. Many were expecting Thompson to win the fight easily.
As expected Thompson was picking Pettis apart, and was looking to cruise a one-sided decision or a late stoppage win but at the last seconds of the second round, Pettis jumped off the cage and landed an unexpected punch that put Thompson to sleep. It was one of the most shocking moments in MMA history and also the first time Thompson has been knocked out.
Thompson vs Luque
Thompson suffered back-to-back losses, but Thompson was still motivated for a title run. He faced a durable Vicente Luque and managed to outstruck him which led to a unanimous decision win. There were moments that he hurt Luque but could not find the finish, as Luque was just too durable.
His next fight was against the powerful striker, Geoff Neal and he also dominated the fight easily. He went on to call for a title shot since he is the only top contender that has not fought Kamaru Usman but the UFC booked Thompson vs Burns instead.
Burns was just a bad matchup against Thompson since Burns is a high-level BJJ, and once he took Thompson down, there was pretty much nothing that Thompson can do.
