Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson releases statement following KO loss at UFC 307

Thompson was in a reflective mood following his knockout loss to Joaquin Buckley in the featured prelim of UFC 307.

It was another tough night at the office for Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, who suffered his fourth loss in five fights and the second KO loss of his career at the hands of Joaquin Buckley during UFC 307.

Thompson was looking pretty good against Buckley right up until he got backed up against the cage and hit with a massive overhand right to the jaw (see the finish here). We had “Wonderboy” up two rounds coming into the third, but the aging Karate expert forgot to utilize lateral movement and paid the price.

In a new video statement released on X (formerly Twitter), a frustrated Thompson spoke on the defeat.

“Just got back to the hotel — I don’t even know how I got here,” he said. “But again, I get knocked out by an overhand.”

Thompson’s only other KO loss came against Anthony Pettis in 2019, but it was a very different situation. “Showtime” reversed into the cage, bounced off it, took a leap, and snuck his overhand over the top. This time it was Thompson who bounced off the cage ... right into Buckley’s fist.

“Once my head is either on the cage or off the cage, it is what it is,” Thompson said.

With just one sole win since the start of 2021, the 41-year-old fighter was in a reflective mood. Getting slumped like that is definitely the kind of thing to make you re-evaluate your fighting plans, but “Wonderboy” didn’t tip his hand as to what may come next.

“I wanna say thank you to all of my fans,” he said. “You guys really showed out for me as I walked out there. You guys have shown me so much support over the years, and I really do appreciate it, and I love you.”

“The roar of the crowd as I walked out to the cage and my name was announced is something I’ll cherish forever,” he added in the caption to his video.