Outside Source
“Wonderboy” dropped a contentious spit decision to Gabriel Bonfim in Saturday’s welterweight co-main event at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. His shin began bleeding profusely in the second round when his opponent checked a leg kick. While Thompson fought through the wound, it was actually worse than it looked on the broadcast.
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“Shin is split to the bone so time to focus on healing up,” Thompson wrote in a statement on social media.
““I’ve got to get back, heal my shin up, maybe do some more shin conditioning,” he added in a video post.
The former welterweight title challenger did not address the controversial nature of the defeat in his statement. According to MMADecisions.com, 12 of the 14 unofficial media scorecards had the fight in favor of “Wonderboy.” However, cageside judges Michel Bell and Dave Tirelli submitted 29-28 tallies for Bonfim to give the Brazilian a split-decision triumph.
UFC Boss Impressed by Thompson’s Performance
The 42-year-old Thompson has lost five of his last six Octagon appearances dating back to July 2021. However, UFC CEO Dana White came away impressed with the South Carolina native after his latest effort. Thompson defended nine of Bonfim’s 14 takedown attempts in the bout and outlanded his opponent by a 78-to-55 count in total strikes, according to UFCStats.com.
“‘Wonderboy’ looked great tonight,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “For a guy who is a traditional martial artist, kickboxer, [he] does a damn good job staying off the ground and defending the takedown and staying out of submissions.”
Nashville you are amazing! To my fans, I love y’all!! Thank you for your love and support always ❤️
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
— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) July 13, 2025
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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