Anthony Pettis walks away after knocking out Stephen Thompson in Nashville, inset Thompson gets his hands wrapped ahead of UFC 296, throwback banner. Credit: Jeff Bottari/Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

‘Dead immediately’… Stephen Thompson hilariously reacted to devastating first KO loss of his career

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 12:43 PM ET

Stephen Thompson is one of the greatest strikers that we’ve ever seen inside the Octagon.

During his incredible UFC career, Thompson has recorded some remarkable knockouts and wins as a result of the specialist skillset that he brings to the table.

His ups and downs have led Thompson to UFC Nashville on July 12 where he will face Gabriel Bonfim in another explosive welterweight showdown.

However, ‘Wonderboy’ may not have the best memories of fighting in Nashville after what happened to him the last time that he competed at the Bridgestone Arena.

Anthony Pettis produced an iconic finish over Thompson to become the first man to knock out the experienced kickboxer inside the Octagon.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Stephen Thompson broke down his own knockout loss during a UFC live stream

While his knockout loss to Anthony Pettis wasn’t his first setback in the UFC, this defeat only provided more evidence that Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson may be the nicest fighter on the roster.

The American was on the wrong end of one of the best knockouts of the year as ‘Showtime’ jumped off the fence for a superman punch that dropped his opponent.

However, this didn’t stop Thompson from breaking down the finish during a live stream that he did for the UFC’s Twitch channel.

After analyzing some of his best wins, it eventually came time to watch back his worst defeat, as Thompson braced himself for the moment of impact.

“Bink, no! I like stiffen up, that’s the worst. Alright, we gotta go back and watch this real quick. Oh man. Alright, check this out, we’re gonna go slow-mo with it yo.”

Fans paid their respects to the fallen ‘Wonderboy’ in the live chat as he claimed that he was “Dead immediately.”

Thompson also stated that while the knockout itself isn’t necessarily fun to watch, it’s the follow-up shots that were landed once he was already out that are the toughest for him to see.

“I don’t mind seeing that. What really hurts me is this one right here, here it goes, boom. He crushes my face. Oh dude, he hits me twice. Someone needs to put a meme of my soul rising up out of my body. That’s the worst, alright I’m getting out of here y’all.”

Stephen Thompson looks to get back on track in Nashville after some tough results

Stephen Thompson has hit a difficult run of form after winning one of his last five inside the Octagon.

While the vast majority of those fights have come against the very top talent in the welterweight division, he’s taking a step back for his next outing against Gabriel Bonfim.

That’s not to say that the 17-1 Brazilian isn’t another incredibly dangerous opponent for Thompson, having produced 13 wins by submission.

This fight could determine whether Thompson can continue to compete in and around the top 15 now that he’s 42 years old.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: