Stephen Thompson has been dropped in five of his last seven fights, but for the first time in his career, the UFC welterweight contender was knocked out. A superman punch by Anthony Pettis wiped “Wonderboy” out with seconds remaining in the second-round of Saturday’s UFC Nashville main event, sending Thompson to his third defeat in his last four fights.
Thompson was taken to the hospital after that devastating KO, and it was there he published a Facebook Video of himself talking about what happened… as well as the fact that he (unsurprisingly) had no idea what transpired in the closing stages of the fight.
Posted by Stephen Wonderboy Thompson on Saturday, March 23, 2019
“I’m at the hospital, I just got knocked out,” Thompson said (via MMA Fighting). “I don’t even remember a dang thing. All I just remember is punching him in the face, his nose bleeding, and then I wake up in the back. … But I’m okay, everything’s good.
“Crap happens, you know? It happens, especially when you’re in this sport long enough.”
Pettis had landed only five head strikes for the nine minutes and 55 seconds the bout lasted, but three of those consisted of the superman punch and two follow-up strikes after Thompson had hit the canvas.
“Out of how many years of fighting, I’ve never been knocked out,” Thompson said. “80 fights, I’ve never been knocked out. Why does it have to be this time? Dang it. … I know, I was fighting a 155er and he puts me out. What the heck?”
Thompson was a heavy favorite to beat Pettis and presumably had he won without much difficulty, he would’ve been favored to headline UFC Greenville in his home state of South Carolina on June 22nd. He did admit it’s now doubtful he’ll be medically cleared for such a relatively quick turnaround.
Beyond that, he says he felt fine beyond jaw soreness after taking such a cracking shot from “Showtime.”
About the author
