Go ahead and pencil Stephen Thompson onto the short list for the greatest UFC retirements of all time.
After a long and illustrious career that spanned more than a decade, “Wonderboy” said goodbye to mixed martial arts Saturday at UFC 334 with one of the best highlights of his UFC run, knocking out Charles Radtke at the age of 43 with a dazzling spinning wheel kick and setting off a raucous party inside New York’s Madison Square Garden.
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After seizing momentum late in the second round, Thompson (18-9-1) came out aggressive for the final frame of his MMA life, hammering Radtke (12-6) with hard one-twos and kicks from his trademark bladed stance. Then, in a sequence that will surely be replayed on highlight reels for years to come, “Wonderboy” caught his 36-year-old foe clean with a picture-perfect spinning kick at the 2:54 mark of the third round.
If for only a moment, Thompson looked exactly like the same karate prospect who took the UFC by storm in his run to consecutive welterweight title shots from 2012-16.
Afterward, Thompson made his retirement from MMA official.
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“I’ve been with the UFC for almost 15 years. Tonight, I couldn’t ask for better than to go out with a spinning hook kick to the dome, baby. Let’s go,” he said.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to cry. I just want to say I love you.”
“I know I’ve said this before,” an emotional Thompson continued, “but if I never meet you or dance with you, train with you, laugh with you or cry with you, I love you.”
A staple of the UFC welterweight division since 2012, Thompson established himself early on as a dangerous opponent for any 170-pounder, using his unique, karate-based striking style to quickly rise into the upper echelon of the division. His run peaked in 2016-17, when he twice challenged Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight championship, first fighting to a draw at UFC 205 in 2016 — the first UFC event ever hosted in New York — before losing their 2017 rematch by majority decision one year later.
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In total, Thompson competed 23 times for the UFC over a 14-year run, defeating a slew of notable names, including former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, Jorge Masvidal, Rory MacDonald and Vicente Luque, among many others. He ends his career with a 12-9-1 promotional record.
Despite his championship close calls against Woodley, “Wonderboy” told Uncrowned this past week that he exits the sport with no sorrows about how his career played out.
“I don’t have any grudges. I don’t look back wishing anything. I’ve got no regrets. Zero,” Thompson told Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I’ve enjoyed the ride, and honored and blessed to be a part of it every step of the way. That’s all you can do.”
Check out complete UFC 334 results and highlights from Uncrowned’s fight night event hub.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
