Stephen Thompson hopes to turn around his localized fighting fortunes in Nashville as the octagon returns to the Tennessee market. During an interview with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, ‘Wonderboy’ touched on several subjects ahead of his UFC on ESPN 70 in a co-main event clash with Gabriel Bonfim.
One of the topics at hand centred on the return to the Nashville market for Thompson, with the context being that the last time he fought there, the former UFC welterweight title challenger suffered his first-ever knockout loss in March 2019.
When asked if being back in Nashville imparted good memories or if it is a bittersweet kind of situation for him, Thompson said,
“Good memories of the fact that the fans were awesome. Bad memories of the fact that last time I was here, I got knocked out… Next thing you know, I’m waking up in the back like, ‘How did I get back here?’ But that’s what makes this sport so freaking special because you never know. It’s a flip of a coin.”
Stephen Thompson and his prior UFC effort in Nashville
Stephen Thompson, and the fight he is referencing above took place at a key juncture in his career as he was looking to rebound from a loss to Darren Till in a 170-pound title eliminator and needed to take out a former UFC lightweight champion. At UFC on ESPN+ 6, Thompson stepped into the cage against Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, with the latter reminding many why his nickname is what it is.
Alas, ‘Wonderboy’ was felled by a Superman punch in the waning moments of the second stanza, and Pettis ended up being the one to redirect his momentum and return to winning ways. Prior to fighting Thompson, Pettis had lost via second-round corner stoppage as the result of a broken hand while doing battle with Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of UFC 229, which went on to garner Fight of the Night honors.
