Fan-favorite veteran Stephen Thompson officially concluded his professional mixed martial arts career by securing a victory over Charles Radtke at UFC 334. The final appearance of his tenure inside the Octagon took place on Saturday, November 14, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he defeated Radtke via knockout.
Stepping Away From Fighting
The retirement announcement came as little surprise, as the 43-year-old fighter revealed the week prior to the event that he would walk away following the matchup. As the oldest active athlete on the promotion’s roster, Thompson opted to retire to spend time with his newborn daughter and avoid sustaining further damage in the sport, as reported by sports.yahoo.com.
A Legacy of Memorable Bouts
Transitioning to mixed martial arts in 2010 after a successful background in kickboxing, Thompson secured five consecutive victories before joining the UFC in 2012. He made a memorable promotional debut at UFC 143 in February 2012, knocking out Dan Stittgen with a head kick to launch a career defined by highlight-reel finishes.
Throughout his time competing at the highest level, Thompson earned victories against prominent opponents including Jorge Masvidal, Robert Whittaker, Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal, and Kevin Holland. He also challenged for the welterweight championship on two occasions against Tyron Woodley across 2016 and 2017, fighting to a majority draw initially before dropping a majority decision.
Thompson closed out his professional resume with an 18-9-1 record, featuring 10 finishes, and earned a reputation for both his exciting fighting style and his cordial demeanor outside of competition.
