Bellator
Nick "The Goat" Thompson retiring following Bellator 40 loss to Ben Askren; Askren moving full-time to Duke Roufus' camp
Apr 11, 2011 - 11:50:53 AM Nick "The Goat" Thompson retiring following Bellator 40 loss to Ben Askren; Askren moving full-time to Duke Roufus' camp

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bellator's 40th event took place on Saturday night on MTV2, featuring two season four tournament semifinal fights as well as a non-title bout in the welterweight division between Ben Askren and longtime MMA veteran Nick "The Goat" Thompson.

In the welterweight tournament semifinals, Jay Hieron squeaked past Brent Weedman in a close unanimous decision and will meet Rick Hawn in the season four tournament finals. In the lightweight tournament semifinals, Michael Chandler got past Lloyd Woodard by decision, earning a spot against Patricky "Pitbull" Freire in this season's final bout.

Ben Askren's dominating, smothering and frustrating decision win over Thompson was yet another example of Askren's ability to impose his gameplan and will on his opponent. However, the win brought criticism for Askren's inability to finish a fighter in Thompson that had been stopped in three straight losses heading into the fight.

Still, Askren remains a dangerous opponent for any welterweight due to his ability to control anyone he faces, and he looks to get more dangerous with the announcement he made after the bout that he'll be moving to Duke Roufus' camp in Milwaukee full time moving forward. The fight team has come into focus in the MMA world over the last year due to the performances of Anthony Pettis, Erik Koch, Dan Downes, Matt Mitrione, Pat Barry and more under the Zuffa banner, and Askren's full time addition to the camp is a big move for all parties involved, and will make everyone fighting there a better fighter.

But that wasn't the only announcement coming out of the event. Thompson commented after that it was his last fight, and he clarified in a post on The Underground Forum that the loss to Askren was indeed his last fight as a professional.

"I have fought many great fighters, even beating a few along the way. In all those fights, I have never felt as frustrated as I felt tonight," Thompson wrote after the loss. "Ben Askren is truly a great wrestler/grappler and I look forward to seeing him develop in the sport. I have been a fan of Ben's since I knew him in high school and am appreciative that Bellator provided me an opportunity for my last fight to be against a fighter for whom I have such tremendous respect.

"I love this sport and all that it has given to me and it is with a mix of joy and sadness that I realize that I am no longer willing to pay the price necessary to compete at the level I expect from myself – the level of guys like Ben, Weedman and Heiron. I have reached a point where it is more important to me to spend time at home with my daughter and wife, who have been great about me competing, and focus on developing my law career at O'Flaherty Heim Egan & Birnbaum LTD, which has also been great about me competing. I am grateful for the many wonderful people who supported me and those I met in mixed martial arts, fans and fighters, and am hopeful that I can give something back to the sport I love by coaching and/or representing the next crop of mixed martial arts superstars. Thank you!"

Thompson's career comes to an end after eight years, a career that took the 29-year-old all over the U.S. and the world in many different promotions, including the UFC, Strikeforce and Sengoku. A couple of notable career wins in his 53-fight career include Paul Daley and Eddie Alvarez, but his career comes to an end with four consecutive losses to Tim Kennedy, Dan Hornbuckle, Taisuke Okuno and Askren. His ends his time in MMA with a 38-14-1 record.