Stephen Thompson apologizes for UFC Fight Night 199 loss: 'I'm motivated not broken'

Stephen Thompson came up on the short end of a unanimous decision Saturday at UFC Fight Night 199 when he lost to Belal Muhammad in the co-main event.

Less than 24 hours after the loss, Thompson (16-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) posted a statement on his Instagram in which he apologized to his supporters for the loss Saturday in Las Vegas. He also voiced confidence in his future and ability to rebound from the setback.

“I want to apologize to my coaches, my family, and my fans for my performance,” Thompson wrote. “I’m motivated not broken.”

For the majority of three rounds, Thompson was controlled and dominated by Muhammad (20-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), who repeatedly dragged the fight to the ground. Muhammad’s efforts swept the judges’ scorecards 30-25, 30-26, and 30-26.

Thompson, 38, has lost back-to-back outings and four of his most recent six bouts. A two-time UFC welterweight title challenger “Wonderboy” lost to Darren Till and Anthony Pettis before he won consecutive fights against Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal. The two victories were bookended by the current two-fight losing skid, which includes the Muhammad defeat and a July loss to Gilbert Burns.

Meanwhile, Muhammad extended his lossless streak to seven, including six victories and one no contest, which came when he was poked in the eye by top contender Leon Edwards.