Stephen Thompson

Wonderboy

USA

Crushing UFC 307 defeat
WelterweightUFC
October 5, 2024
Thompson lost to Joaquin Buckley via KO (punches) at 2:17 of Round 3 at UFC 307 on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
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.
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Scheduled against Buckley
WelterweightUFC
August 16, 2024
Thompson will compete against fellow welterweight Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5, according to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.
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.
Taps to Shavkat Rakhmonov
WelterweightUFC
December 16, 2023
Thompson lost to Shavkat Rakhmonov via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:56 of Round 2 at UFC 296 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
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.
Will fight Rakhmonov
WelterweightUFC
September 22, 2023
Thompson will fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296 on Dec. 16, UFC President Dana White announced.
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.
Fight scratched
WelterweightUFC
July 28, 2023
Thompson will no longer fight Michel Pereira at UFC 291, Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie reports.
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.
To face Pereira at UFC 291
WelterweightUFC
May 17, 2023
Thompson's scheduled welterweight matchup against Michel Pereira has been rebooked for UFC 291 on July 29 in Salt Lake City, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
The two were originally set to face off at UFC 289 on June 10, but the bout was postponed due to reasons that were never officially disclosed. Seven weeks later, the contracts have apparently been finalized, and if oddsmakers treat this one anything like the last, Thompson could see himself as high as a (-245) betting favorite. He'll be facing an opponent in Pereira who is 11 years younger, tremendously athletic and also tends to employ unorthodox striking styles (sometimes to his detriment). Thompson is a veteran of the sport with tremendous Fight IQ and stand-up defense, however, so it makes sense to see him favored. Pereira will have to catch him with something out-of-the-box, or perhaps employ more of his wrestling game, in order to get this fight closer to even.