UFC 165 results and photos: Stephen Thompson returns to form, KOs Chris Clements

TORONTO – Stephen Thompson showed fans his evolving skills as a wrestler and grappler by taking down fellow striker Chris Clements.

But the unpredictable striking of “Wonderboy” again set him apart in his fourth UFC fight, where a pair of lightning-quick combinations finished Clements in the second round.

The welterweight bout was part of today’s UFC 165 event at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on Facebook and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

The official time of the stoppage came at the 1:27 mark of the second frame. Thompson’s wrist bent from the force of a right hand he slammed into the head of Clements, who wobbled backward before a left hand floored him against the cage.

Moments earlier, Thompson surprised Clements with one-two combination that nearly ended the fight.

Clements appeared well-prepared for Thompson when he swept the former kickboxer’s legs out from under him with a kick. The move prompted Thompson to take the fight to the ground and look for ground and pound opportunities.

With his hands characteristically slung low, Thompson started the second frame loose and found his range with sneaky combinations.

“I’ve been working on my wrestling and my BJJ,” Thompson said. “I have the striking, and everybody knows that. Now I want them to know that, hey, this guy can take me down. That way, they won’t know which way I will go. I’m a fighter and I always think I can get better, even with my striking, but now I’m very comfortable with my ground moves and my wrestling.”

“I don’t feel much right now,” Clements said. “I hurt my knee backstage before the fight, which sucks. I have so many friends and family here and really wanted to put on a show, but when I went out to the octagon, I couldn’t really move.”

Thompson (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) now enjoys back-to-back wins this year following a setback against the surging Matt Brown in his second UFC bout. Clements (11-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who returned to the octagon after more than a year on the bench due to injuries, would be facing back-to-back losses if his previous opponent, Matt Riddle, had not tested positive for marijuana and been stripped of a win.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 165 results include:

• Stephen Thompson def. Chris Clements via KO (punches) – Round 2, 1:27
• Mitch Gagnon def. Dustin Kimura via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:05
• John Makdessi def. Renee Forte via KO (punches) – Round 1, 2:01
• Michel Prazeres def. Jesse Ronson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Alex Caceres def. Roland Delorme via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Daniel Omielanczuk def. Nandor Guelmino via KO (punches) – Round 3, 3:18

For complete coverage of UFC 165, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan, Ben Fowlkes and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on-site in Toronto.