Thompson a winner, but is he also headed for self-destruction?
Stephen Thompson is a high-risk, high-reward fighter. And on Sunday night, the former undefeated kickboxing champion received plenty of reward, taking a huge step forward in his MMA career with a first-round KO win over top-10 ranked Jake Ellenberger at The Ultimate Fighter Finale.
Thompson (11-1) proved Sunday night that he could handle the pressure and spotlight of a headline position, and also that he can handle a tough stylistic matchup with a high-level wrestler and top contender. The TUF 21 win is Thompson's fifth straight, and he surges onwards in the UFC's ultra-competitive welterweight division.
Additionally, Thompson finished things as he often does -- via flashy kick. There's no arguing with his success, of course; but his knockout style also puts him in some tough spots.
Before he hurt Ellenberger (30-10), Thompson himself was nearly finished after being dropped with punches. The punches landed flush, in large part, because Thompson fought the first part of the bout with his hands completely down, at his sides.
He was doubtless trying to feed an easier-to-defend single-leg takedown to the wrestler Ellenberger with his wide stance, and perhaps he kept his hands down, in part, to be in position to defend takedown attempts.
In either case, he still took a huge risk since Ellenberger is a power puncher in addition to being a great wrestler. Still, Thompson got the win, and no one in the MGM Grand Garden Arena crowd complained about his style.
Furthermore, the fighter himself is confident that he can continue to use his traditional martial arts kicking-heavy style and find success as he faces increasingly stiff competition. "I think so," he said when asked during the post-fight press conference whether he thinks his style can hold up as he climbs the ladder.
"I work with some of the best in the world ... some of the best wrestlers in the world like [UFC middleweight champion] Chris Weidman."
Thompson doesn't seem blind to the fact that he, like all fighters, has some work to do in order to improve enough to reach the top. And, make no mistake about it, his goal is the very zenith of the UFC.
"I'm shooting for that world title," he continued. "That's why we're all in this."
The flashy kicker puts plenty of gritty work in to win, and he plans to continue to do so. That doesn't mean, however, that he intends to change his style -- perhaps only to continue to adapt it well for MMA.
Only time will tell how well he does that. What is for certain, however, is that he'll continue to thrill fight fans.
Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson always entertains. He also usually wins.
