Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson has confirmed that his welterweight bout with Charles Radtke at UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City will be the last fight of his career. The 43-year-old told James Lynch of Ozoon that he will retire after the card, according to MMA Junkie, Sportsnet and SI FanNation.
What Thompson said
In a clip released ahead of the full Ozoon interview, Stephen Thompson said: "It's my last one, brother. And what better place to have it than Madison Square Garden, New York City?" as quoted by MMA Junkie.
He pointed to becoming a father as the main reason. A baby girl was born in September, and he said: "My body feels good. I feel great. I can keep going. But I have a baby girl now." He added that being a dad "definitely changes your mindset a little bit."
Thompson did not close the door completely. "We'll see as she's older where I'm at. You might see me again," he said. Sherdog reported earlier that Thompson had explained his choice of Charles Radtke as a way to give a rising fighter an opportunity, the kind he once received himself.
Thompson's career
Thompson moved from kickboxing to MMA in 2010 and made his UFC debut at UFC 142 in 2012, where he knocked out Dan Stittgen with a head kick, according to SI FanNation. He later earned two welterweight title shots against Tyron Woodley: the first ended in a majority draw, the second in a majority decision loss.
Pugna MMA's database lists his record at 17-9-1, with eight wins by knockout or TKO, one by submission and eight by decision. Among his wins are names such as Johny Hendricks, Jorge Masvidal and Geoff Neal, as well as Kevin Holland, whom he stopped in the fourth round in December 2022.
The last years have been difficult. Thompson enters UFC 334 on a three-fight losing streak: a second-round submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296 in December 2023, a third-round knockout loss to Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307 in October 2024, and a three-round decision loss to Gabriel Bonfim in July 2025. Bonfim has since beaten Belal Muhammad and is ranked sixth at welterweight in our data.
What comes next
Radtke is 5-2 in the UFC and has won his last two fights, according to SI FanNation. The fight is booked as a welterweight bout on a card headlined by Ciryl Gane against Josh Hokit, with Amanda Nunes against Kayla Harrison as the co-main event.
Whether Thompson stays involved in combat sports in some form after the fight has not been announced. For now, his focus is on a final night in New York.
Follow Thompson, Radtke and UFC 334 in the free Pugna MMA app, with live round-by-round results and a free no-money prediction game in eight languages.
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.