Stephen Thompson Says UFC 334 Will Be His Final MMA Fight

Stephen Thompson has picked the place and the opponent for his last walk to the Octagon.

The former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger says his November 14 bout against Charles Radtke at UFC 334 will be his final MMA fight. The farewell is set for Madison Square Garden, where Thompson fought Tyron Woodley to a draw in his first title shot a decade earlier.

"It's my last one," Thompson told Ozoon in an interview reported Thursday by MMA Junkie. "What better place to have it than Madison Square Garden, New York City?"

The UFC's official event page lists Thompson-Radtke on the preliminary card. The promotion has not labeled the matchup a retirement bout on that page, but Thompson's own language leaves little room for confusion about his plan.

Fatherhood changed the timeline

Thompson is 43, but he did not frame the decision as a body finally breaking down. He said becoming a father changed the calculation.

"My body feels good. I feel great. I can keep going," Thompson said. "But I have a baby girl. ... 'Wonderdad' now. That definitely changes your mindset a little bit."

He did leave himself a narrow opening, adding, "We'll see as she's older where I'm at. You might see me again." For now, the clearest reading is that UFC 334 ends his MMA career, even if Thompson is not swearing off every possible form of competition forever.

The timing also matches his contract. Thompson had previously said he had one fight left on his UFC deal. Rather than drift into an uncertain offseason, he gets a scheduled goodbye on one of the promotion's biggest annual cards.

A return to the scene of his title shot

Madison Square Garden is more than a famous backdrop for Thompson. At UFC 205 in November 2016, he challenged Woodley for the welterweight championship and survived a brutal fourth round to force a majority draw. The rematch four months later ended in a majority decision for Woodley.

Thompson never won the UFC belt, but his karate-based movement made him one of the division's hardest matchups during his prime. His seven-fight run from 2013 through 2016 included wins over Robert Whittaker, Johny Hendricks and Rory MacDonald. Later victories over Jorge Masvidal, Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal and Kevin Holland extended his stay near the top of the division.

The closing stretch has been rougher. Thompson has lost six of his last seven and enters UFC 334 on a three-fight skid. His most recent win came against Holland in December 2022, when Holland's corner stopped the bout after four rounds.

That record explains why the farewell is not a title eliminator. It does not erase what made Thompson different. At his best, he could turn a welterweight fight into a long-range geometry problem, bouncing in and out before opponents found the line they wanted.

Why Charles Radtke got the fight

Radtke is not a ceremonial opponent. He has gone 5-2 in the UFC, and Thompson has already explained why he wanted a younger, unranked welterweight across from him instead of another veteran.

"Why not go out with a chance to give these other guys an opportunity to work their way up?" Thompson told Full Mount MMA in September. He said established fighters gave him similar opportunities when he was climbing and called Radtke a fighter with "tremendous potential."

There is a real exchange at work. Thompson gets the farewell he wanted in New York. Radtke gets the biggest name of his UFC run and a chance to beat a former title challenger under the Madison Square Garden lights.

UFC 334 is headlined by heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane against Josh Hokit, with Kayla Harrison defending the women's bantamweight title against returning former champion Amanda Nunes. The official UFC page lists the prelims for 7 p.m. ET and the main card for 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+.