Long-time UFC fan favorite Stephen Thompson officially announced his retirement following his win over Charles Radtke at UFC 334.
In the final fight of his UFC career, Thompson knocked out Radtke at UFC 334, which took place on Saturday, November 14, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Stephen Thompson Retires
The retirement was not a surprise, as Thompson announced the week before the fight that he was stepping away from the UFC after his fight against Radtke.
[ #UFC334 | LIVE on @paramountplus ]
The 43-year-old Thompson was the oldest fighter on the UFC roster before he retired, so it was going to come sooner rather than later. With “Wondeboy” recently welcoming a baby daughter into the world, he decided that he wanted to step away from the game now and get the chance to enjoy his young family instead of sticking around for longer and absorbing more damage inside the Octagon, as MMA is a dangerous game.
Wonderboy’s MMA Career
Following a successful kickboxing career, “Wonderboy” made the transition to MMA in 2010. He won his first five career fights before getting signed to the UFC in 2012.
In his UFC debut, Thompson knocked out Dan Stittgen with a head kick at UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit in February 2012, the first of many highlight-reel knockouts for him during his career.
During his run in the UFC, Thompson defeated notable names like Jorge Masvidal, Robert Whittaker, Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal, and Kevin Holland, just to name a few.
Thompson also fought for the UFC welterweight title twice, fighting to a majority draw and then losing a majority decision to former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a pair of memorable 170 lbs title bouts back in 2016-2017.
Overall, Thompson finished his MMA career with an 18-9-1 record, with 10 of those wins coming by stoppage. He was an exciting fighter who put on amazing fights for the fans, and he was also known as one of the nicest guys in the business.
Thank you for everything @WonderboyMMA!
We at Heavy want to thank Thompson for all of his fights over the years and wish him and his family the best of luck going forward.
Stephen Thompson Retires After UFC 334