- With less than five seconds left, Thompson released a rear-naked choke
- He played Black's song “Wonderboy” as his entrance music before losing
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Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson was accompanied to the Octagon at UFC 296 by a very special guest – Jack Black walked out alongside him ahead of his fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Thompson has long since split with “Wonderboy” – the debut single from Black's former rock comedy band Tenacious D – and the two are also said to have been friends over the years.
The unlikely duo particularly bonded in the past when Black taught Thompson the “Kick of Destiny” ahead of his fight against Kevin Holland at UFC 279.
However, the School of Rock star's performance was probably the highlight of Thompson's night, as he lost the fight to Rakhmonov after being submitted via a rear-naked choke in the second round.
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson was accompanied to the Octagon at UFC 296 by Jack Black
Thompson has long since decided on “Wonderboy” – the debut single from Black's former rock comedy band Tenacious D
Thompson was scheduled to face Shavkat Rakhmonov of Uzbekistan in a welterweight bout
Thompson was ultimately defeated in the second round after submitting to a rear naked choke
During the first round of the fight, the action started slowly, as Thompson spent large portions of the time pressed against the fence, doing limited damage.
Near the end of the round, he finally managed to land a nice kick to the body and a solid overhand, but the move wasn't enough to avoid boos from the fans.
Thompson was much more aggressive in the second round before he was hit against the cage again and eventually taken to the mat again.
After finally trying to get back to his feet and defend against a D'arce choke, Thompson climbed right into the rear-naked choke that led to his demise with less than 10 seconds left in the round.
He had tried to last until the end of the round, but decided it would be better to tap rather than be forced into an early nap.