UFC 217: Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson finally is in control of his nerves — and his vomit
UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson talks on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, about his upcoming fight against Jorge Masvidal on Saturday at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Mark La Monica
Given the nature of his chosen profession — voluntarily entering a ring or cage with the intention of kicking and punching another person, knowing full well they plan to do the same thing in return — it’s understandable for a fighter such as Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson to be nervous beforehand.
No matter how much experience Thompson had — more than 50 kickboxing bouts and a handful of MMA fights — he still needed a quick moment to himself before making the walk to the center of the arena.
“I threw up before every fight,” the UFC welterweight said.
Eventually, that just became part of the normal pre-fight routine for Thompson, who went 57-0 in his kickboxing career before transitioning to MMA several years ago. Thompson, a welterweight fighter with a karate background, faces Jorge Masvidal at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
“It was like a thing I had to do. It was like a way of purging myself to be able to go for battle,” Thompson said. “If there was anything in my system, I had to get it up. There were points where I was gloved up, getting ready to walk out and I had to throw up. My dad dragged me over to the trash can, stuck his finger down my throat and I threw up all over the place. It had to be done. But now it’s not like that. My body has gotten used to the process.”
Thompson is 13-2-1 in mixed martial arts, with an 8-2-1 record in the UFC. Thompson said since moving to MMA, he has learned more about what sorts of foods his body can process quickly.
“I haven’t thrown up, I don’t think,” Thompson said, “since I’ve fought in the UFC.”
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
