Back in the early days, when the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) was known as no holds barred (NHB) fighting, the field was full of specialists competing in the most extreme version of rock-paper-scissors known to man. Ken Shamrock's traditional American freestyle wrestling succumbed to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu of Royce Gracie. The Gracie style of fighting ruled the roost until Japan's Kazushi Sakuraba became famous for destroying four of the family's siblings with his unique "shoot wrestling" techniques.

As the sport evolved, MMA almost became its own fighting style. It is incredibly rare to find a fighter in the UFC in 2020 who isn't versed in some combination of kickboxing/muay thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu/freestyle wrestling. Curiously, within this evolution, the Japanese martial arts have yet to find a place. That isn't to say they've been forgotten or rendered useless, it's that they still alternate between being the rock, paper or scissors rather than being part of a core.

The best examples are former UFC champions Ronda Rousey and Lyoto Machida: Rousey's judo vanquished all competition until Holly Holm realized her low, head forward grappling posture left her unable to properly strike nor defend them. Machida's Shotokan karate led him to a 16-0 record – and then Shogun Rua realized his stance means he can't fight when moving backward. His opponents then knew he would crack under pressure and he has since gone 10-10.

The one fighter who seems to have been able to crack the code – in this case with Kempo karate – is Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. Going into the main event of UFC Vegas: Thompson vs. Neal. He had a record of 15-4-1. Not only do most of those wins come against killers like Robert Whittaker, Jake Ellenberger and Jorge Masvidal, unlike fellow karate fighter Machida, whose losses all come in the form of head-banging KOs and submissions where he was literally passed out, only one of Wonderboy's losses has been a finish, his other three were close decisions against either the welterweight champion at that time or a top contender.

His opponent, Geoff Neal, is in many ways Thompson's opposite. He's a brawler, based on the string of five victories that came in the UFC, he was considered a hot prospect. Where they match is both have been out of action for nearly a whole year due to injuries and illness. The UFC doesn't give tune-ups, but sometimes they do give the guys they like a chance to get back into the swing of things.

If you weren't aware that Wonderboy hadn't fought since November 2019 and had spent the intervening time rehabbing broken hands and a damaged neck, you wouldn't know. From the opening bell, he was as fast and as elusive as ever; standing in his trademark side-on stance with his hands low, he bounced in and out, tagging Neal with a variety of kicks. Some to test range, some to damage and some to set up quick punch combinations to the body.

Commentator Daniel Cormier described Thompson as a puzzle. That's apt as Neal looked confused for the bulk of the fight. When getting peppered with strikes, he stood stock still, flatfooted, with his guard high to prevent head kicks but completely exposed otherwise.

From the second round onward, he tried to be more offensive by using the Shogun game plan and forcing Thompson-as-Machida backward. With Wonderboy's back to the cage, Neal found the most success, first with short punches in a clinch and later with boxing combinations. However, each time, the moment he began finding success, Thompson used his exceptional footwork to maneuver away and back to a more favorable spot.

Stephen Thompson has a reputation as being one of the smartest fighters in the UFC and he showed it from Round 3 onward. It's one thing to exploit an opponent's weakness; Wonderboy took Neal's static defense and treated him like a heavy bag in a gym by attacking from all 360 degrees. He also took Neal's greatest strength in the fight and turned it against him. Any time he got locked in a clinch, Thompson would respond in kind and prevent Neal from shooting off any strikes.

By Round 5, Wonderboy looked like he was having a great time, dancing around and landing whatever he wanted while Neal looked reckless, hunting for a big one-punch knockout and nothing else. According to UFCstats.com, in that five-minute stretch, Thompson attempted 115 strikes, almost doubling Neal's 60.

In the final UFC fight of 2020, Stephen Thompson won with a well deserved unanimous decision (45-50, 45-50, 45-50). Martial arts have never been more mixed and yet here is a 37-year-old Japanese-style fighter managing to do what Sakuraba, Machida and Rousey could not. Stephen Thompson truly is Wonderboy.