Stephen Thompson‘s unorthodox techniques were on full display tonight, and they served him well.
Thompson took on Jorge Masvidal in the second fight of UFC 217’s main card.
Thompson took the center and kept his hands down in a sideways stance. Masvidal pumped his leg in a Muay Thai style. Both fighters patiently measured each other up. Stephen bounced lightly on his feet. Thompson punched and Masvidal stumbled back. Front leg sidekick by Wonderboy. Leg kick by Masvidal. Stephen charged in with a one-two punch and Jorge followed up with leg kicks. Another sidekick off the front leg by Stephen but Masvidal followed up with a kick of his own. Another sidekick, this time Jorge went down but got right back up. Leg kick by Jorge but counter right hand punch by Thompson. Stephen followed up with a hard straight right.
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Round 2 started out with some light leg kicks by both fighters. Hick kick by Thompson but Masvidal followed up with one of his own then a takedown attempt. Huge right by Thompson and Masvidal goes down but back up. Wonderboy charges in with a 1-2 then a kick. Stephen danced around Masvidal and peppered him with strikes. Jorge tried to charge in but no one was home. Nice 1-2 punch by Wonderboy. Another sidekick by Thompson. Masvidal tried to punch then kick, but again missed. Jorge struggled to chase Wonderboy but couldn’t catch him. Masvidal finally clipped him. One-two by Wonderboy at the end.
And there off in round 3! Thompson went right back to dancing then followed it with a one-two-kick combo. Jorge went in for another takedown but couldn’t finish it. Another one-two by Thompson. And another. Thompson attempted a spinning back kick but Masvidal got out of the way. Despite the leg kicks landed on him, Wonderboy still bounced around lightly on his feet. Four punches landed by Thompson but Masvidal came in with some punches of his own. Body shot by Wonderboy. Masvidal’s nose was bleeding and Thompson continued to circle around his opponent, dodging most of his opponent’s punches. Small flurry by Thompson at the end and Masival went down.
Winner by unanimous decision: Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson
