Thompson ‘doesn’t remember a thing’ after first knockout loss

Stephen Thompson has admitted he has no memory of his defeat to Anthony Pettis at UFC Nashville on Saturday night.

‘Wonderboy’ was removed from consciousness via a vicious superman punch at the end of the second round, with the defeat marking his first knockout loss in over 70 professional fights.

Thompson looked on course to bounce back with a dominant performance following his May 2018 loss to Darren Till, with his typically unorthodox striking causing problems for ‘Showtime’ in the opening stanza of their welterweight main event contest.

‘Showtime’ earns another performance-of-the-night bonus

However, the always-durable Pettis, who was stepping up to 170 lbs for the first time in a decade, took advantage of an ineffective side kick to deliver a highlight-reel-worthy knockout over his larger opponent – and earn his fourth performance bonus in a row.

Speaking from his hospital bed late on Saturday night, Thompson put a brave face on the defeat after confirming he felt physically fine. “I’m at the hospital, I just got knocked out,” he said. “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.”

‘Wonderboy’ paid respect to his opponent’s “ninja” knockout blow, admitting: “I didn’t turn my hip over enough and he drilled me with a right hand… And I was sitting there thinking in the first round like his punches were slow. Then he punches me with that, hits me with that.”

Thompson: ‘Crap happens when you’re in the sport long enough’

The South Carolina native laughed at the irony of his first knockout loss coming to an opponent he outsized considerably, but added: “Crap happens, you know? It happens, especially when you’re in this sport long enough.”

Thompson, a karateka and fifth-degree black belt in Kempo, went 58-0 in professional kickboxing before switching disciplines in 2010. The 36-year-old’s MMA record now stands at 14-4-1, with only one win in his last five outings.