Issue 088
May 2012
Undefeated in 63 professional cross-code contests, new UFC phenom Stephen Thompson reveals the family bond behind his perfect record
NEED TO KNOW
NAME: STEPHEN THOMPSON
AGE: 29
STARTED: 2010
TEAM PITCH BLACK MMA, TRI-STAR
DIVISION: WELTERWEIGHT
STYLE : KARATE
RECORD: 6-0
As Stephen Thompson’s right foot slipped effortlessly over the shoulder of his first UFC opponent and delivered a concussive blow directly to the chin of Dan Stittgen, it was hard to believe there was a time in ‘Wonderboy’s life when he didn’t really care for martial arts.
And when you consider the UFC 143 ‘Knockout of the Night’ was Thompson’s 63rd-straight combat-sports contest without a true loss, it may be even more difficult to believe there was a time when he wasn’t even really that good at it.
“Growing up, there was a time when I didn’t like the martial arts,” Thompson admits in an exclusive interview with Fighters Only. “When I was growing up, I used to compete in karate tournaments. I probably lost all of them. I don’t even remember winning one. I hated karate.”
Thompson began training in martial arts at the tender age of three, just like his other four siblings. His dad, Ray, opened a martial arts school – Upstate Karate – in 1983, the same year Thompson was born, and family attendance was anything but optional.
“In our family, it was one of those things that we had to do,” Thompson says. “Growing up, my dad said, ‘You’re going to be into martial arts, and it’s what you’re going to do until you’re at the age that you can make your own decisions.’ It’s one of those things we just really had no say in.
“He actually got into martial arts at the age of 18. He was in military school, and they had a guy come in and start teaching martial arts, and he got into it and has been doing it ever since.”
Eventually, something finally clicked for the kid originally known as ‘Stevie Wonder’ too, named as such for his tendency to dance and sing rather than for producing spectacular skills on the mats.
“I was a dojo rat,” Thompson reveals. “We all lived at the dojo and were there all the time. One day, when I was in middle school, something just clicked. A light bulb went off in my head, and I just understood it all. I found my own style of fighting and stuff that worked for me, and I started getting really good at it.
“I started competing in kickboxing. I had my first fight at 15, and I’ve been doing it ever since. When it’s a family thing, it’s pretty cool because you’ve got brothers and sisters that also eat, drink, sleep and breathe the martial arts.”
In fact, it was Thompson’s older sister who really provided his motivation, first in kickboxing and later in the grappling arts.
“My sister Lindsey really was my inspiration to fight kickboxing,” Thompson says. “She fought before I did, and, of course, my dad did before her. She’s 30 years old, and she’s married to Carlos Machado, who is a ninth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. They’ve got four kids, and they all started training at the age of three as well.”
And so Thompson cruised along for more than 10 years in the amateur and professional kickboxing circuits, running through competition with a unique blend of point-style striking techniques delivered with the power needed for the full-contact version of the sport. Along the way, a chance encounter with fast-rising MMA superstar Georges St Pierre and his equally fast-rising trainer, Firas Zhabi, provided the basis for Thompson’s eventual transition to mixed martial arts.
“Seven years ago, I fought in Montreal, kickboxing, and I was fighting an opponent who trained at Tri-Star,” Thompson says. “Georges St Pierre and Firas Zahabi were working my opponent’s corner. I ended up knocking the guy out, I think in the fifth round, and after the fight, Firas, who knows everything that’s happening in any fight sport, came up to me and wanted me to train at Tri-Star and help Georges with his striking. At the same time, he could help me with my wrestling. That was actually leading up to the Jon Fitch fight. I’ve been going back and forth ever since.”
Thompson still considers his dad’s gym, Pitch Black MMA in Simpsonville, South Carolina, as his home base, but Tri-Star quickly became an important part of his training regimen. And as kickboxing opponents continued to fall and his relationship with Tri-Star continued to flourish, Thompson opted to take a shot at MMA. Sure, the rocketing popularity of the sport compared to kickboxing’s slow decline was part of the reasoning, but Thompson says it’s a desire for greatness that truly pushed him into his new career path.
“My goal is to be the best fighter in the world, and I don’t feel like I can do that with kickboxing,” Thompson says. “I’ve already done a lot with kickboxing, but it’s just that I’ve got these other skills that I’ve developed at a young age, including wrestling and jiu-jitsu, and I want to show that, as well. Of course, you’ve got people in the MMA game that think I don’t have a ground game, which is OK. I want them to think that so I can keep working my training and getting better.
“I’ll hold off showing my grappling skills as long as I can until I get that crazy jiu-jitsu guy who’s not going to let me get back up to my feet, and I have to use my jiu-jitsu. But my grappling is getting better every day. I wouldn’t say it’s as good as my stand-up, but it’s getting there. Besides, I want to keep it on the feet because it gives a good show, and people want to see a knockout.”
It took just two years of professional MMA competition and a mere five fights for the UFC to come calling. Despite his incredible track record in kickboxing, Thompson admits he hesitated briefly before accepting the bout.
“There was a little hesitation,” Thompson says. “I talked about it with my dad, of course, he’s a big part of what I do in martial arts. My manager came and talked to me, and if you talk to me, you talk with my dad. My manager said, ‘You’ve got an offer to fight at UFC 143. Do you want to do this?’ At first, I wasn’t sure. I always feel like I can get better or that I’m not ready for something, which always makes me train harder. So that popped in my head, ‘Am I ready?’”
Of course, the answer from his mentor was a resounding, “Yes,” and Thompson quickly realized the same. “I had only had five fights in MMA, but then I thought, ‘I’ve been doing this since I was three years old. This is the UFC calling me to fight. Let’s do it,’” he reveals. “I couldn’t say no. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What if they never called again? So I did it.”
And despite St Pierre being injured and unable to compete at UFC 143, the French-Canadian superstar remained loyal to his longtime training partner and accompanied Thompson to the cage for his Octagon debut.
“It was very cool to have him support me, especially for my UFC debut. To have him walk out to the cage with me was incredible. He’s the best in the world, but he’s also just like the rest of us. He’s a very nice guy, very sweet, and he’ll take the shirt off of his back to help you out.”
Thompson and Stittgen competed in the first fight of the night, but Wonderboy says the experience was just as amazing as any of his kickboxing championship moments.
“There are no words I can use to describe it,” he recalls. “I’ve fought in many places in kickboxing – all over the world – but never to this stage. I fought in the World Combat League, which was Chuck Norris’ promotion, and it was on the Versus channel, but there was nothing as incredible as fighting on a UFC card. I was the first fight that night, but it felt like I was the main event.
“I was nervous walking up to the point where I’m about to walk out to the cage. That’s when I get the most nervous, which I think is just a thing because it’s not a very long period of being nervous. A lot of times, people stay nervous, and there’s an adrenaline dump that comes with that. But over time and through competing a lot, I try to use that nervous energy to keep me sharp in the cage. But as soon as I started to walk out, and I saw that cage, everything that bothered me just kind of went away, and I knew that I was supposed to be there.
“Out there in the cage, I felt very comfortable. It just happened. I don’t go out there to look for a knockout. I go out there, and I just do what I do and if the knockout happens, it just happens.”
And of course, with that deftly placed right foot, it did happen on that particular night. And it looks like there’s plenty more to come.
“You’ve got some really, really, really good fighters in the welterweight division, but I’m going to make it to the top,” Thompson says. “That’s my goal. I’m not going to say, ‘if,’ because ‘if’ just sets you up for failure. I think I’m a pretty positive guy, and that’s my goal. But I’m going to be ready for whoever steps in front of me – whoever Joe Silva and Dana White want me to fight. I know it’s going to be difficult, but I’m used to difficult things. I train hard, and I’ve got great people to train with. I’m going to be ready for whoever is next.”
