Stephen Thompson - Looking back on UFC 205 Ahead of Retirement

Back in the arena which saw his most epic fight, Stephen Thompson will call time on his MMA career with one final fight against Charles Radtke.

An MMA career which has spanned 16 years, 'Wonderboy' is one of the most liked fighters to have ever graces the octagon. Never has a man been so dangerous whilst being so nice but that didn't effect his in-cage ability as he's scored some of the greatest knockouts in divisional history.

Known for his alternative style, the karate specialist bamboozled opponents with kicks that came out of nowhere, punches that were lightning-quick, and a stance which made it extremely hard to catch him, Thompson wow'd fans when he burst on to the scene.

10 years on from his epic UFC 205 bout with Tyron Woodley, we look at the highlights of Stephen Thompson's career.

Stephen Thompson Returns to MSG to Retire

Wonderboy may go down as one of the best fighters to never win a UFC title but it wasn't through want of trying. The karate stylist kicked off his career (literally) with a famous knockout of Dan Stittgen, before dropping a decision to the experienced Matt Brown.

Following that bout, he went on a phenomenal run which saw him pick up seven straight wins. On this run, he finished Robert Whittaker, Jake Ellenberger and Johnny Hendricks before outpointing Rory MacDonald.

He was then matched with the new welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley in a fight which featured on the first-ever card to take place in New York City.

UFC 205 Epic

The fight began with Thompson more on the front foot than was normal for him. He was looking to feint and draw out a reaction from Woodley early on.

Very little happened until Woodley caught a kick of Thompson's, ran the pipe and took him down, lying on him for the remainder of the round and bloodying the challenger.

The second round was a similar story, with Thompson being reluctant to engage due to the grappling abilities of Woodley. The champion was similarly reluctant to engage due to the striking ability of Thompson and chose instead to have his back against the cage wall for the majority of the round. The length of Thompson was causing Woodley's explosiveness to be rendered pointless as he could slide out of danger before being hit.

The third round was instantly forgettable with a rinse-and-repeat pattern from both men. Thompson, weary of the power, didn't commit to his shots and Woodley didn't commit to his due to worries of being countered. Only 18 total strikes were landed, albeit eight more than the previous round.

Into the championship rounds, the fight started heating up. Both men were aware that the fight was close, and Woodley began to fight on the front foot more. When he was able to trap Thompson, he exploded, catching him with several shots. After a minute and a half of the fourth round, Woodley finally found his target and landed a vicious rear straight on Thompson, sending the challenger crashing to the ground.

Plenty of follow-up shots re-bloodied Thompson, and Woodley went for the kill. He locked up the head of Thompson before jumping for the guillotine, which Wonderboy eventually broke free from to an enormous cheer from the crowd. He remained on top until the end of the round.

And into the fifth and final round we went. Both fighters knew it was close. Woodley knew Wonderboy was hurt, Wonderboy knew Woodley likely gassed his arms out with the guillotine attempt. It was all to play for.

Wonderboy won the final round on activity, outlanding the champion 21-8 on significant strikes. 

The scorecards were released and surprised everyone.

A majority draw. Woodley kept his belt, and the two men won the fight of the night honours. An amazing fight and well-deserving of being on the first-ever New York City card.

The two men rematched five months later in an awful fight, which saw both men extremely tentative. Woodley won a majority decision (48–47, 47–47, 48–47), but a combined 107 total strikes across five rounds saw a disappointing end to a potentially epic rivalry.