The UFC has caused a stir by announcing a surprise matchup for ex-welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson.
Thompson is among the most familiar names competing in the UFC at 170 pounds, having done so ever since landing a head-kick knockout in his Octagon debut 13 years ago.
At the age of 42, ‘Wonderboy’ remains inside the welterweight top 15 but is winless since December 2022.
Thompson’s last victory came over Kevin Holland, and his next two fights have seen him submitted by Shavkat Rakhmonov and knocked out by Joaquin Buckley.
With that, the veteran fighter faces the pressure of proving that his tank isn’t empty this year. And to do so, he’ll need to stall the rise of a highly touted prospect currently outside the UFC rankings.
Stephen Thompson vs Gabriel Bonfim added to UFC Nashville on July 12
The promotion suddenly announced Thompson’s return fight on Friday, revealing that the fan favorite will make the walk at UFC Nashville.
The event, set to go down inside the Bridgestone Arena on July 12, will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira.
And it’ll be a similar case for Thompson’s matchup. The long-tenured contender is tasked with defending his spot inside the top 15 against Gabriel Bonfim, an up-and-comer with a 17-1 record.
The Brazilian welterweight has won two straight since falling to his first career defeat against Nicolas Dalby in late 2023.
Bonfim, who has gone to the scorecards just once in 18 fights, most recently submitted knockout artist Khaos Williams at UFC Vegas 102.
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Fans slam UFC’s choice of opposition for Stephen Thompson’s return
It didn’t take long for MMA fans to flock to the comments with their opinions on the surprise matchup for Thompson.
Plenty were confused and disappointed by the choice of opposition, especially with the belief that each fight could be the 42-year-old’s last.
“What did Wonderboy do to the UFC?”
“This makes no sense.”
“UFC matchmakers all need to be fired.”
“Why would they do this?”
But not everyone was against the matchup.
“Wonderboy is a solid gatekeeper.”
“LET’S GOOO.”
“Nice, Wonderboy might just fight himself back into a title conversation with this.”
“This card is an absolute banger, [I don’t care] what anyone says.”
A number of fans brought up Michael ‘Venom’ Page, questioning why the UFC opted not to book a much-discussed battle between the two karate-style strikers.
Thompson, for his part, has frequently pushed back on that potential matchup by claiming their styles would cancel each other out and lead to a dull point-fighting affair.