About Stephen Thompson
In life, we are let down so frequently. When it comes to athletics, this definitely seems to be the thing. Everybody has heard the statement, “This guy is the next big thing.” Before once more recognizing that the aforementioned isn’t all that, he says, “He’s going to be better than…..” In light of this, Stephen Thompson, a 5th degree black belt in Kempo Karate, took against Dan Stittgen at
The anticipation for UFC 143 was high. We were hearing stories about karate in MMA, exceptional striking prowess, and other things of that nature. At that point, he hit his opponent with a jab, cross, and roundhouse move.
The roundhouse offered the kind of accuracy and brutality that could only be used by a karate specialist, initially aiming for Stittgen’s body before deviating to his head. Suddenly, people started to pay attention. As you can see, Thompson was a unique case of hype with merit.
“Fighting in the UFC and knocking my opponent out in that fashion, I definitely rank this top of the list,” Thompson said, according to a Fox Sports article. “I’ve knocked people out with that same combination — the jab-cross roundhouse. We call it ‘The moneymaker.’ But this is definitely the top because this is the UFC. It was fun.”
Without further ado, here is Thompson’s story.
Date of Birth: Stephen Thompson was born on February 11, 1983 in Simpsonville, South Carolina.
Training Camp, Nickname, and Fighting Organization:
Ray Thompson’s Upstate Karate family has a division called Team Pitch Black that Thompson trains with. Additionally, he has a history of training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Canada under Carlos Machado, his brother-in-law, and Firas Zahabi.
Thompson competes for the UFC and is known as “Wonderboy”
Beginnings of MMA
On February 5, 2010, Thompson made his professional MMA debut by knocking out Jeremy Joles in the second round at Fight Party – Greenville Kage Fighting. Before the UFC called, he had a perfect 5-0 record in minor MMA promotions.
Beginnings of UFC
As was said earlier, on February 4, 2012, Thompson made his UFC debut by KO’ing Dan Stittgen at UFC 143.
Combative Style
There is no denying that Thompson is a striker. Along with this, he maneuvers around danger like a karate fighter, frequently maintaining good distance control on his feet. He approaches opponents with a varied and precise striking strategy, using both his hands and feet.
Thompson’s takedown defense has shown to be more than acceptable, despite the fact that he has not yet demonstrated much on the ground.
Some of Stephen Thompson’s most notable MMA triumphs include:
Patrick Cote is defeated by Thompson at UFC 178 via unanimous decision:
The best opponent Thompson had faced since Matt Brown was Cote.
So it meant something when he was able to out-strike him.
At UFC 143, Thompson knocks out Dan Stittgen in the opening frame: Stittgen’s night was finished with a powerful round kick to the head. For a UFC debut, not bad.
Achievements in kickboxing
Thompson was a championship-caliber kickboxer before entering the MMA. See his accomplishments listed below.
According to Wikipedia, all championship information came from WonderBoyMMA.com:
- 1999 I.S.K.A Georgia State Middleweight Amateur Champion
- 2000 I.S.K.A Southeast Middleweight Amateur Champion
- 2000 I.K.F South East Light Middleweight Amateur Champion
- 2000 I.K.F National Amateur Tournament Middleweight Champion
- 2000 P.K.C National Light Middleweight Amateur Champion
- 2000 U.S.A.K.B.F North American Middleweight Amateur Champion
- 2001 I.K.F National Amateur Tournament Light Heavyweight Champion
- 2002 I.K.F National Light Heavyweight Amateur Champion
- 2002 I.K.F North American Amateur Tournament Light Cruiserweight Champion
- 2001 P.K.C National Light Heavyweight Amateur Champion
- 2001 U.S.A.K.B.F Light Heavyweight Amateur World Champion
- 2001 W.P.K.A Light Heavyweight Amateur World Champion
- 2003 I.K.F Light Cruiserweight Amateur World Champion
- 2003 I.A.K.S.A Cruiserweight World Champion
- 2005 W.A.K.O Cruiserweight World Champion
