Ever wondered how Stephen Thompson got his nickname?
Fighting in his forties, two-time UFC title challenger Stephen Thompson still goes by his iconic nickname ‘Wonderboy’ decades after it was coined.
Thompson is one of the more notable strikers on the UFC roster, his karate style proving to be a tough code to crack for many welterweights.
Thompson made his pro MMA debut at 26 years old with a wealth of experience beforehand in the kickboxing ring.
Stephen Thompson Had His First Fight At 15
Up there with former champion Lyoto Machida as the best karate-strikers in UFC history, “Wonderboy” didn’t always believe in his skills though, which were passed down from his father/coach, Ray Thompson.
That was thanks to his older sister, Thompson recalls in the legendary story behind his nickname.
“So my dad fought kickboxing. My older sister fought kickboxing. So they were kind of my inspiration to go to kickboxing, to have my first fight at 15 years old. I thought I sucked at kickboxing,” Thompson said on the Jaxxon Podcast.
“My sister used to beat the crap outta me all the time, made me cry, bro. I grew up with it. I mean, she was the alpha dog for the longest time, so I thought I was terrible here. I’m getting my butt kicked by this girl…”
How Stephen Thompson got the ‘Wonderboy’ nickname
It wasn’t until Thompson got matched up with someone almost twice his age that he got the confidence boost (and nickname) he desperately needed.
“My dad had me fight this guy. He was like 26, I think he was 20-0 in kickboxing, kind of threw me to the dogs on that one,” Thompson continued. “I guess it was a way for him to show me that I was better than what I thought I was.
“I ended up beating the brakes off the guy and afterwards the commentator was like, what you think about this Stephen Thompson kid? And he’s like, man, I wonder why he even stepped in the ring with this boy. And the announcer called me ‘Wonderboy’ and just stuck with me forever.”
“That’s a good story about how you get a nickname,” former UFC Champion Quinton ‘Rampage Jackson replied to Thompson.
Now 42, Stephen Thompson still remains in the UFC Welterweight rankings at #11. “Wonderboy” is coming off stoppage losses to Shavkat Rakhmonov and Joaquin Buckley.