Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson speaks out about getting KO’d for the first time in his life, by Anthony Pettis.
Thompson has made his name by having one of the most exciting styles in the welterweight division. Highlight wins over Jorge Masvidal, Vincente Luque and Geoff Neal are a part of his resume. However, in 2019, he came up against Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis.
First-Ever KO Loss
The fight appeared to be going Thompson’s way until he was clipped by a brutal superman punch that left him unconscious. This was the first time Thompson had been knocked out in his whole life, inside and outside the cage. However, rather than be demoralised, Thompson was actually relieved. Speaking on the JRE Podcast, Thompson recounted the experience as well as his mentality surrounding it. He stated the following:
“I’ve been hit harder. Tyron hit me harder. Jake Ellenburger hit me harder. This was just right on the button. To be honest with you it was like a relief, to get knocked out. I’ve got close to eighty-something fights with kickboxing and MMA together and I’ve never been knocked out. It was always one of those; going into a fight, this is going to be it. This is going to be the time I get knocked out. This is always going through my head. And now that it happened, it’s not that bad. It’s really not that bad. I would rather get knocked out than have the crap beat out of me for five, five-minute rounds.”
Masvidal’s Iron Will
With UFC 261 looming, the topic of Jorge Masvidal is very much relevant. ‘Gamebread’ is of course a former opponent of Thompson. Masvidal’s skill in the ring is universally known and appreciated, but what Thompson truly respects about him is his mindset. He stated that:
“You cannot break this guy’s will in a fight. I’ve broken guys wills in a fight. With a guy like that (Masvidal), who comes out just as hard in the last round as he does in the first. And still has power. And is still just a savage, just wants to rip your head off. That’s a scary dude. You hit him and he just smiles at you. Normally when guys do that, they’re hurt. But this guy, you know that he just a G man. And I like him because he is who he is. He’s not faking nobody. He’s not trying to be somebody he’s not.”
Stephen Thompson is set to take on Gilbert Burns in July. A win there may well catapult ‘Wonderboy’ into title contention.
