Stephen Thompson Destroys Johny Hendricks With First Round TKO

Former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks was looking to put a year of frustration behind him when he met rising striking phenom Stephen Thompson in the main event of tonight’s (Sat., February 6, 2016) UFC Fight Night 82 from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Although the No. 7-ranked Thompson may not be all that well known in the mainstream, he no doubt presented a challenge that ‘Bigg Rigg’ needed to be more than aware of, and ‘Wonderboy’ showed us why when he not surprisingly  came out with a flashy kick.

But Hendricks responded by closing the distance with a clinch as predicted, briefly tying up Thompson on the fence. Thompson broke to land a stiff side kick and a huge high kick, rushing forward to land sharp punches on Hendricks.

He landed a hard left hand and a kick as ‘Bigg Rigg’ was eating a lot of damage. Another combo found a home from Thompson, and he poured it on with endless strikes, landing an absolutely pinpoint flurry of punches and earning a stoppage as Hendricks was reduced to a heap on the canvas.

An amazing statement performance from Thompson, who will now find himself among the top five welterweights in arguably the most talented division in the UFC.

Final Results: Stephen Thompson def. Johny Hendricks via R1 TKO (strikes, 3:31)