Stephen Thompson

Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, 36, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, United States was one of the winners at “UFC 244.” It was his ninth victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Featuring 12 mixed martial arts bouts, the UFC held “UFC 244” at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on November 2, 2019. In the 10th bout of the evening, Thompson competed in the welterweight division against Vicente “The Silent Assassin” Luque, 27, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.

Keith Peterson served as the referee. After three five-minute rounds, the welterweight bout was left in the hands of the judges.

Two judges score it 30-26. One scored it 29-27.

In the end, Peterson raised the hand of Thompson, who was declared the winner via unanimous decision. The bout was declared the Fight of the Night.

“There’s nothing like it,” Thompson said in his post-fight interview. “When you walk through these halls and know the talent and athletes that have performed here, it’s epic for sure. I felt great to be honest with you.”

“He hits hard,” Thompson said of Luque. “I think he has a harder head than I do but it was awesome.”

Including Brazil and the U.S., eight countries were represented at “UFC 244.” The others were Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, England, Finland and Suriname.

Luque was one of the three fighters who represented Brazil. Thompson was one of the 15 representatives of the U.S.

Winning at “UFC 244” improved the professional MMA record of Thompson to 15 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw. On the other hand, Luque now has 17 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw.

Competing professionally since 2010, Thompson joined the UFC in 2012. The first eight opponents he defeated in the promotion were Dan Stitgen, Nah-shon Burrell, Chris Clements, Robert Whittaker, Patrick Cote, Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald and Jorge Masvidal.

In the main event of “UFC 244,” Masvidal fought and Nate Diaz, 34, of Stockton, California, USA in the welterweight division. The former won via technical knockout due to doctor stoppage and earned the BMF belt presented by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

In the co-main event, Darren “Gorilla” Till, 26, of Liverpool, Merseyside, England fought Kelvin Gastelum, 28, of Yuma, Arizona, USA in the middleweight division. The English contender won via split decision.

Here is Thompson: