Stephen Thompson deserved to return to the win column last night (Sat., July 12, 2025) when he faced off with rising contender Gabriel Bonfim in the co-main event of UFC Nashville.
It was not an easy fight by any means. Bonfim started fast, clearly taking the generally uneventful first round with a close rear-naked choke attempt. He also landed some solid low kicks, whereas “Wonderboy” was having trouble finding the mark. Bonfim’s momentum continued into the second even as Thompson denied his grappling
attack, as the Brazilian found a home for several hard left hooks and cut his foe’s shin apart with a well-timed check.
Thompson fought his way back into the bout, however.
His kicks started to land with more authority, and his jab began to find a home as well. With hardly any time left on the clock, Thompson prevented an 0-2 hole by going high with a round kick, stunning Bonfim and leaving him stumbling before the bell bought him a chance to recover.
With five minutes remaining, it was clear to most watching that the third round would decide the victor.
Those final five minutes weren’t particularly electric. A lot of it was spent in the clinch, where Bonfim couldn’t really secure takedowns or land significant shots. He did press Thompson into the fence though. “Wonderboy,” for his part, landed a few hard kicks, one of which was another sneaky head kick that briefly dropped Bonfim’s butt to his heels.
If we’re talking about the most effective offense of the round, that kick was it! Unfortunately, — official judging criteria be damned — cage control time is still rated highly. Two of three judges went with Bonfim, handing “Wonderboy” his third straight loss and pushing him closer to retirement.
Per MMADecisions at the time of writing, 12 of 14 media sources and 95 percent of the fan vote awarded Thompson the victory.
If I’m being honest, I don’t think it’s the worst robbery ever or particularly egregious. Thompson edged a close round in a close fight, and he wasn’t rewarded appropriately — it happens all the time.
Why make a fuss now?
The reason is simple: Thompson is an old man with few opportunities left, and he clearly put his best effort into this performance. A 42-year-old striker isn’t able to flick up fast, powerful head kicks in round three unless they put their nose to the grindstone in camp. Thompson is clearly working his butt off to extend his career and make the most of his remaining time.
Because of this decision, he now has one fight left on his UFC contract if the promotion opts to give him the chance. He just lost out on one of the few win bonuses possible remaining in his professional career.
If it were the other way around and Thompson scored a narrow, mildly undeserved decision over Bonfim? There will be plenty of future opportunities for the 27-year-old. His career will be just fine. Or, for a more concrete example, look to the main event. The questionable referee stoppage that handed Tallison Teixeira the first loss of his professional career was kind of terrible, but if the big Brazilian is actually half-decent at fighting, it won’t matter in the long run, so ... who really cares?
“Wonderboy,” conversely, has no such margin to tank officiating errors. It hurts to see one of MMA’s few good guys put his best foot forward and come up short to anything other than his opponent.
For complete UFC Nashville results and play-by-play, click here.
More from mmamania.com:
- Miocic Responds To Pressure From White And Cormier
- White On ‘Possibly’ Stripping Miocic
- UFC 249 Embedded: Rousey Nearly Knocked Out Cruz?
- Midnight Mania! Sterling Vs. Sandhagen Possible June 6 Headliner
- UFC 249 Odds, Under Dogs And Best Bets!
- Khabib Plans July Return, Vows To ‘Smash Them All’
- Video! Jacare Breaks Social Distancing Rules Prior To UFC 249 Removal
