Stephen Thompson

ANALYSIS
It's a crushing defeat for Thompson in a fight in which he was doing quite well. At the time of the stoppage, one judge had Thompson up two rounds, one had Buckley up two rounds, and the third had it tied, so the result was clearly up for grabs. Wonderboy looked as slick as ever on the feet until the stoppage. He was able to avoid the vast majority of Buckley's power shots and return fire. He did allow four takedowns, but did a shockingly good job of both getting back to his feet and avoiding damage on the mat. Ultimately, one huge blow midway through Round 3 put him away. Thompson will be 42 years of age in February. He's in better shape than most men half his age, but he's also lost four of his last five fights. While Wonderboy still appears to have plenty of gas left in the tank, the UFC needs to be careful regarding who the company matches him up against moving forward.

ANALYSIS
Once again, Thompson will have to defend his ranking against a rising opponent, this time in Buckley. Thompson is 1-3 across his last four, but all his losses have come against championship contenders. Perhaps the 30-year-old Buckley is not at that stage, and Thompson has made good work of fending off those who have not fought for a title yet.

ANALYSIS
Thompson is arguably the most gifted pure striker in the history of the sport, but there's a reason he entered as a +450 underdog, by far the largest on the entire card. He'll be 41 years of age next February and has never been a great grappler. He was also facing a stone-cold killer. Thompson managed to remain upright in Round 1, but his luck ran out in Round 2. At that point, it was just a matter of time before Rakhmonov earned the stoppage. Wonderboy nearly made it to the end of the frame but was forced to tap with just seconds left. It's the first submission loss of Thompson's career. Wonderboy is in a near-impossible spot moving forward. It's clear he's not on the same level as the top welterweights on the roster. That said, he has plenty of gas left in the tank. It's a story to monitor as the calendar turns to 2024.

ANALYSIS
Thompson needed a big fight, and a win here would show the world that he's still firmly in the contender mix. His opponent is as exciting as it gets though, as Rakhmonov is sporting a 17-0 record during his professional career.

ANALYSIS
Thompson will no longer face off with Michel Pereira after his opponent weighed in too heavy. It remains to be seen if the bout, which had already been rescheduled, will be re-booked in the future.