Stephen Thompson

Overview

Seven straight UFC wins, two of them over Johny Hendricks and Rory MacDonald in main events four months apart, and then a run of losses that has him at 12-9-1 in the UFC.

Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson is an active welterweight out of Greenville, SC, fighting for Upstate Karate Family Martial Arts Center. His overall professional record is 17-9-1 across all promotions. Twelve of his UFC wins and one draw sit against nine losses, and he carries a three-fight losing streak into his next fight.

Great start. Long tail.

UFC Career

Thompson debuted at UFC 143 in February 2012 with a first-round TKO of Dan Stittgen, then dropped a unanimous decision to Matt Brown two months later. That was the only loss before the long climb.

The seven-fight win streak began in 2013 with a decision over Nah-Shon Burrell. Next came a second-round TKO of Chris Clements, then a first-round TKO of Robert Whittaker at 3:43. A decision over Patrick Cote followed, and then he finished Jake Ellenberger in round 1 at 4:29. Johny Hendricks, rated elite by our model, went down in round 1 at 3:31 in a main event. Rory MacDonald took him the full five rounds, and Thompson won a unanimous decision.

The streak ended against Tyron Woodley at UFC 205, a five-round majority draw. They ran it back at UFC 209, and Woodley took a five-round majority decision.

After that, results turned mixed. Thompson beat elite opponents Jorge Masvidal, Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal, all by unanimous decision. Losses to Darren Till, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad came in between. He closed out 2022 with a fourth-round TKO of Kevin Holland, finishing at 5:00 of round 4 in a five-round main event.

The latest losses are to Shavkat Rakhmonov by submission at 4:56 of round 2, Joaquin Buckley by TKO in round 3, and Gabriel Bonfim by split decision. Six of his nine UFC losses have gone to the judges.

Fighting Style

Thompson is a busy striker who lands more than most and gets hit less than most. His accuracy and defense sit around the UFC average, so his edge comes from volume rather than precision alone.

He rarely shoots for takedowns and rarely hunts for submissions, but he is very hard to take down. Opponents who try to wrestle him mostly don't get far.

Finishing is front-loaded. Half of his twelve UFC wins came by KO/TKO and half by decision, with no submission wins. Four of the six stoppages came in round 1.

Notable Wins

• Johny Hendricks — KO/TKO, round 1 (3:31), UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs Thompson (2016)
• Rory MacDonald — unanimous decision, five rounds, UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs Thompson (2016)
• Jorge Masvidal — unanimous decision, UFC 217 (2017)
• Geoff Neal — unanimous decision, five rounds, UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal (2020)

Quick Facts

• Division: Welterweight
• UFC record: 12-9-1
• Professional record (all promotions): 17-9-1
• UFC debut: 2012
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height and reach: 6'0", 75" reach
• Team: Upstate Karate Family Martial Arts Center
• Born: Greenville, SC, United States