Fans Stunned as Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson Fights with ‘Gaping Hole’ in Shin at UFC Nashville

UFC welterweight veteran Stephen Thompson got a nasty cut on his left leg during his recent fight at UFC Nashville.

Fans Stunned as Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson Fights with ‘Gaping Hole’ in Shin at UFC Nashville

Stephen Thompson loses fight and gets a brutal injury at UFC Nashville (via X)

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Stephen Thompson is undoubtedly one of the most respected and beloved fighters on the entire UFC roster due to his friendly nature. The 40-year-old veteran has remained loyal to the promotion for nearly 13 years, fighting against some of the elite names. At UFC Nashville on Saturday, Thompson hoped to bounce back with a win, but instead faced a disappointing loss.

From the get-go, Thompson used his trademark karate footwork effectively, maintaining range to avoid Gabriel Bonfim’s pressure-heavy offensive grappling. Bonfim relentlessly pressed forward, mixing crisp jab combinations with clinch entries to threaten takedowns against veteran Wonderboy’s base.

The Brazilian fighter successfully secured his first takedown mid-second round after cutting off the cage, forcing Thompson to defend from half-guard position. While defending from the bottom, Thompson absorbed heavy grappling control, but managed to land disruptive elbows. This prevented deep submission attempts altogether.

Bonfim increased top pressure, landed underhooks, and attempted transitions into choke setups, showcasing his elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu threat on canvas. Thompson appeared shaken by constant grappling pressure, visibly slowing his lateral movement and struggling to reset distance effectively.

Near the end of round two, Thompson threw a left leg kick, but Bonfim checked it. The impact caused a deep shin cut. Despite the injury, Thompson landed two powerful head kicks using the hurt leg, nearly finishing Bonfim with a dramatic flurry. As round three started, Bonfim relentlessly targeted Thompson’s wounded shin, which was bleeding heavily and visibly affecting his movement.

The compromised leg significantly affected Thompson’s stance-switching rhythm, leaving him vulnerable to takedown setups and unable to retreat with normal speed. Late in the third round, Bonfim landed significant ground-and-pound strikes as Thompson’s posture collapsed, losing defensive structure.

Judges awarded Bonfim victory via split decision, with control time, leg damage, and grappling dominance tipping all scoring in his favor. Meanwhile, many fans on the internet felt that ‘Wonderboy’ did enough to win two out of the three rounds.

Fans react to Stephen Thompson’s leg injury at the loss at UFC Nashville

Heading into the fight, Stephen Thompson was on a two-fight skid, consecutively getting finished by Shavkat Rakhmonov and Joaquin Buckley. His recent loss to Gabriel Bonfim means Thompson now holds just one victory in his past six UFC appearances inside the octagon. Despite the result, many fans criticized the decision, strongly believing that Thompson had clearly done enough to win.

Fans were disappointed with Stephen Thompson's loss
Fans were disappointed with Stephen Thompson’s loss (via X)

On the other hand, this win marked Bonfim’s fourth UFC victory, positioning him for future matchups against top-ranked welterweights soon. However, fans weren’t impressed as the young Bonfim struggled to dominate a 42-year-old veteran nearing the end of his career. Still, the dramatic fight and Thompson’s gruesome injury triggered an outpouring of strong reactions from fans across social media platforms.

As expected, many fans were shocked by how gruesome Stephen Thompson’s injury looked and feared a potential serious injury. UFC fans immediately recalled similar horrific leg injuries suffered by legends like Conor McGregor and Anderson Silva in past bouts.

Despite the severe cut, ‘Wonderboy’ refused to back down and even managed to hurt and wobble his younger opponent impressively. Many fans passionately argued that the veteran did enough to win the fight and was unfairly robbed.

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