UFC 145 Results: Was Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson Not Ready for the UFC?

UFC 145 featured some of the hottest rising prospects in the sport, with Rory MacDonald and Michael McDonald leading the way. But right behind them was Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, a kickboxing specialist who made waves with his incredible high-kick knockout of Dan Stittgen in his UFC debut.

Thompson fought UFC veteran Matt Brown on the FX preliminary portion of last night’s UFC 145 card, and while the fight was entertaining, both fighters showed some massive holes in their games.

After getting thoroughly beaten down on the ground in the first round, Thompson came out swinging in the second round and rocked his opponent early in the frame. But due to some terrible takedown defense, he was unable to finish the fight.

By the halfway point of the second round, both fighters were completely gassed out, a rarity for any UFC fight, especially in the welterweight division where most guys are in tremendous shape.

While the torrid pace of the fight contributed to both Brown and “Wonderboy” becoming exhausted, it was still an unacceptable performance from both fighters.

Despite the fact that both guys seemed to be completely out of energy, Brown and Thompson came out and continued to put on a show in the third round.

Thompson once again came out and rocked Brown on the feet before getting dragged down to the mat, and while he easily won the battle on the feet he ended up losing the decision.

Thompson looked like the killer on his feet that he was advertised as at some points during the fight, but his lack of takedown defense and cardio showed that he has a lot to learn before he becomes a high-level fighter.

Does this mean he’s not ready for the UFC? No way.

We’ve seen plenty of guys that have awesome stand up but are dead in the water as soon as the fight hits the mat. Maybe Thompson will be better than just a middle-of-the-road striking specialist, but even if he isn’t he will still have a decent career in the UFC.

The fight that came directly before Thompson-Brown on the FX broadcast was a battle between striking experts Anthony Njokunai and John Makdessi, a fight between two middle-of-the-road lightweights that was made simply to entertain the fans.

This could end up being the blueprint for Thompson’s career. Give him guys like Dan Hardy and Duane Ludwig and let him go to war on the feet and if he gets on a decent win streak then he can get a step up in competition.

If not, then he can make a career out of being one of the most exciting strikers in the UFC and becoming a mainstay on the FX cards and prelims.