Fighters Only : Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson Set for UFC Return at Nashville Event

Paul Browne

May 31, 2025

Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is set to return to the Octagon at UFC Nashville later this summer.

The former welterweight title challenger Thompson (17-8-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) is scheduled to face rising Brazilian contender Gabriel Bonfim (17-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at the event, which takes place at Bridgestone Arena on July 12.

Thompson, currently ranked No. 12 in the UFC welterweight division, will be looking to get back in the win column after a tough stretch of results. The 42-year-old was stopped by Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307 in his only appearance of 2024. Before that, he suffered a submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2023.

Overall, Thompson has lost four of his last five fights. His most recent win came in December 2022, when he defeated Kevin Holland.

A former world kickboxing champion, Thompson signed with the UFC in 2012. After a loss to Matt Brown in just his second fight, he went on a seven-fight win streak that included victories over Jake Ellenberger, Johny Hendricks, and Rory MacDonald. That run earned him a title shot against then-champion Tyron Woodley in 2016.

Their first bout ended in a majority draw, with Thompson narrowly losing the rematch by majority decision four months later. Since that loss, he has gone 4-6 inside the Octagon.

Bonfim, who is currently unranked, enters this matchup fresh off an impressive submission victory over Khaos Williams in February. Known as “Marretinha,” Bonfim earned his UFC contract by submitting Trey Waters with a Von Flue choke on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. Three of his four UFC wins have come via submission.

UFC Nashville will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC) and undefeated Brazilian prospect Tallison Teixeira (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC).