Nobuaki Kakuda
After transitioning to Seidokaikan in 1993, Thompson fought his first match against Taiei Kin at the "K-1 Grand Prix '93" in Tokyo, Japan on 30 April 1993, losing by majority decision after two extension rounds were needed to separate the pair. He bounced back with a first round knockout of Nobuaki Kakuda at "K-1 Sanctuary III" in Osaka, Japan on 25 June 1993. Entering the 1993 Seidokaikan Karate World Cup on 3 October 1993, Thompson rematched Kakuda in the tournament's opening stage and repeated his performance to score another first-round KO. It was another familiar foe and outcome in the quarter-finals, as Taiei Kin again beat him by an extension round decision to eliminate him from the competition.