Stephen Thompson didn’t address the controversial judging in the UFC Nashville co-main event, but the shin injury he suffered in the fight is more gnarly than expected.
Thompson was on the wrong end of a split decision to Gabriel Bonfim on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event at Bridgestone Arena. In the second round, “Wonderboy” had a leg kick checked by Bonfim that immediately split open his shin — leaving a gaping wound that bled for the rest of the fight. Seconds later, Thompson hurt Bonfim with a head
kick, using that same shin, but couldn’t put his opponent away.
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Thompson released a statement via Twitter following the bout, saying that his shin was “split to the bone” requiring stitches.
Nashville you are amazing! To my fans, I love y'all!! Thank you for your love and support always ❤️
— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) July 13, 2025
Pops, thank you for always being in my corner, love you!
To my team back home, thank you for all of your help for this fight camp. I felt great out there
Thank you to my… pic.twitter.com/Hem8MVqYXg
“Well, got to get back, heal my shin up, maybe do some more shin conditioning, but love you guys,” Thompson said at the end of the video.
The 42-year-old Thompson is currently the oldest fighter on the roster, but has still been performing at a high level. Despite sitting on a three-fight skid, Thompson gave surging contender Joaquin Buckley a tough fight before he was eventually stopped in the third round at UFC 307 this past October. Prior to that, Thompson was submitted by the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Thompson revealed that following UFC Nashville, he has one fight left on his current contract. How that final contractual bout goes will shape if he’ll continue competing.
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