Stephen Thompson further flips up UFC welterweight ranks with knockout

By Case Keefer (contact)

Monday, July 13, 2015 | 12:01 a.m.

Stephen Thompson executed a double backflip from one side of the octagon to the other and then wiped a drop of blood off of his heel.

The post-fight sequence encapsulated the performance of “Wonderboy” at “The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians” finale, where he was fluid and callous in knocking out Jake Ellenberger at 4:29 of the first round.

“I wanted to make it special,” Thompson said. “I wanted to make it exciting. I think that’s what my style brings. I’m here to put on a show. That’s what people want to see.”

Thompson might soon bring the show to an audience far bigger than the 4,844 who attended the card he headlined Sunday evening at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The 32-year-old former kickboxing champion from Simpsonville, S.C., soared up the welterweight ranks by not letting his toughest opposition yet halt a winning streak that’s lasted more than two years.

He instead extended the run to five straight victories, and expanded his vault of gasp-inducing highlights. Thompson hammered Ellenberger, a six-year UFC veteran who nearly challenged for the title three years ago, with a pair of spinning heel kicks.

“When I hit him with the first one, I knew it dazed him,” Thompson said. “I knew it hurt him. I didn’t want to go in there and go crazy. Sometimes you go in there and go crazy, and they recover well. I just let him back up, and did it again.”

The second kick finished Ellenberger, meaning Thompson’s measured approach worked to perfection. He also kept from panicking a couple minutes earlier when Ellenberger dropped him with a straight right during an exchange.

“It was one of those flash knockdowns,” Thompson said. “I didn’t give up. That’s what happens when you don’t give up.”

Fighters far more experienced than Thompson, a former kickboxer who crossed over to mixed martial arts five years ago, struggle to maintain their composure as well he managed against Ellenberger. But Thompson has learned from the best.

Some of the UFC’s biggest stars have regularly leaned on Thompson as a training partner. He imitated Anderson Silva twice as part of middleweight champion Chris Weidman’s training camps, and also routinely worked with Georges St. Pierre during the Canadian’s reign at welterweight.

All those sessions gave Thompson confidence that his unorthodox style could excel at the highest level despite the lack of any formal wrestling background.

“I’ve worked with some of the best wrestlers,” he said before listing off training partners. “All of these guys have been a part of my camp, and I’ve been getting better and better every day.”

A potential matchup with Conor McGregor’s highest profile confidant Gunnar Nelson, who submitted Brandon Thatch in the first round at UFC 189 last night, gained steam after Sunday’s card. With a UFC Fight Night card scheduled for Oct. 24 in Dublin, where Nelson trains, a main event featuring the rising welterweights would make sense.

Thompson expressed no reservations about going into enemy territory, calling the Nelson matchup “very exciting.”

But he didn’t want to cross off any other possibilities either. Thompson’s current objective is showcasing his distinct set of skills in the highest-profile positions.

“I want to make that break into the top five, and make a run for the title,” Thompson said. “I think that’s why we do what we do — We want to be the best.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.