Wonderboy's Last Dance: Stephen Thompson Retires in Style With Spinning-Kick TKO at UFC 334

NEW YORK — Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson could not have written a better ending. The 43-year-old closed a 14-year UFC run on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, stopping Charles Radtke with a spinning heel kick at 2:54 of the third round in the featured prelim of UFC 334, then laying his gloves down in the centre of the Octagon.

It was his first win since December 2022, when he stopped Kevin Holland, and it snapped the three-fight losing run that had convinced him to walk away. He entered at 17-9-1 and left at 18-9-1, a winner in his final fight.

A fairytale finish at Madison Square Garden

Thompson had announced beforehand that the Radtke fight would be his last, and he stayed true to his word. After the stoppage, he removed his gloves and placed them on the canvas, the sport's traditional farewell, as the New York crowd rose to salute him. Commentator Joe Rogan was in tears during the post-fight interview.

To finish not with a decision loss but with a highlight-reel knockout, on one of the biggest cards of the year, was the ending he had hoped for.

How the final fight unfolded

Radtke, 12-5 and riding a two-fight winning streak, made Thompson work for the fairytale. He closed the distance immediately, secured an early takedown and spent long stretches in top position, though Thompson got back to his feet and worked his way into the striking exchanges.

Radtke scored another early takedown in the second, yet Thompson rose quickly and turned up the heat, appearing close to a stoppage before the bell saved his opponent. The pattern continued in the third, Radtke finding brief relief in the clinch, but the momentum had swung. Then came the kick: a spinning heel kick dropped Radtke, and the fight was over.

A career built on karate brilliance

Thompson arrived in MMA as a kickboxing phenomenon, unbeaten at 57-0 before switching sports in 2010. He debuted in the UFC with a first-round head-kick knockout of Dan Stittgen at UFC 143 in February 2012, and after an early setback against Matt Brown he won seven straight to earn a welterweight title shot.

That chase produced one of the era's great rivalries: Thompson fought champion Tyron Woodley to a majority draw at UFC 205 in November 2016, then lost the rematch by majority decision at UFC 209. He never earned another title shot, but wins over Robert Whittaker, Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald and Kevin Holland kept him dangerous deep into his thirties.

The final chapter was harder. Three successive defeats, to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Joaquin Buckley and Gabriel Bonfim, marked the worst run of his career. "I don't see the title anymore," Thompson said before the fight, explaining that he did not want to keep taking damage against younger contenders. Fatherhood played its part too: his baby daughter is five months old, and he said that changed how he weighed the risks.

Mesquita breaks Rousey's record

Thompson's farewell was the emotional peak of the prelims, but the night's history was made earlier on the card. Bia Mesquita submitted Macy Chiasson with a rear-naked choke at 3:23 of the first round, becoming the first fighter in UFC women's bantamweight history to record four finishes in the division and passing Ronda Rousey, who held the previous record with three.

Mesquita, 35, improved to 9-0 as a professional and 4-0 in the UFC, with all four Octagon wins by submission. She took Chiasson's back after a body-lock takedown and locked in the choke, leaving Chiasson, now 10-7, on a fourth straight defeat. Mesquita said she would watch the Harrison-Nunes title fight with close interest, and her run has put her firmly in the title conversation.

McKinney flattens Miller and leaves lightweight

Terrance McKinney produced the most explosive finish of the prelims, knocking out veteran Jim Miller at 1:53 of the first round. McKinney, 32, dropped the 43-year-old with a heavy left hand and finished him with punches, improving to 19-9, with Miller falling to 39-20 in a UFC career stretching back to 2008.

The win came with a complication McKinney was quick to acknowledge: he had missed the lightweight limit by 4.2 pounds, weighing 160.2 pounds, and forfeited part of his purse after Miller agreed to proceed. "I wanna apologize for missing weight," he said. "This is my last fight at 155." His next bout will be at welterweight.

The rest of the prelims

Cesar Almeida stopped Donte Johnson by TKO at 3:20 of round one in a 190-pound catchweight bout, while Chris Duncan outworked Drew Dober for a unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Earlier, Melquizael Costa beat Jared Gordon 29-28 on all three cards, Juan Diaz beat Alateng Heili 30-27 across the board, and Evan Elder dominated Samuel Sanches 30-26 on every card.

What comes next at Madison Square Garden

Attention now turned to the five-fight main card, headlined by heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane's title defence against unbeaten Josh Hokit, with Harrison against Nunes in the co-main event. Whatever happens there, the night already has its defining image: a 43-year-old karateka, gloves laid down in the centre of the Octagon, leaving the sport exactly the way he wanted to, with a spinning kick and a standing ovation.