When did Stephen Thompson join the UFC? Here's how the journey from 'Wonderboy' to 'NMF' began
Stephen Thompson is set to face knockout artist Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ahead of the welterweight clash, we look back at the journey the South Carolina native has covered.
Thompson is widely regarded as one of the finest kickboxers ever to grace the octagon. Before arriving at the apex MMA organization, he was a prolific kickboxer who remained undefeated in 37 amateur and 20 professional kickboxing bouts.
'Wonderboy's childhood set the stage for his future accomplishments. He was trained in the Kempo style of karate and holds a black belt in Tetsushin-ryū Kempo Karate and kickboxing. The Simpsonville native graduated from high school in 2001 and is now the Head Instructor of the children's karate at Upstate Karate.
In 2006, he brought his talent to the World Combat League, a kickboxing promotion, where he ended up ranked No. 1 by the end of that year.
The following year saw Thompson fight striking extraordinaire Raymond Daniels in a highly anticipated bout but suffered a knee injury that left him unable to continue. The bout was later turned into a no-contest. He decided to transition to MMA while healing his injury.
Thompson's phenomenal kickboxing record landed him in the UFC. He joined the promotion in 2011, where he was set to replace Mike Stumpf against Justin Edwards. However, after an injury forced the latter out, 'Wonderboy' faced Dan Stittgen on his octagon debut in February 2012. A crisp first-round headkick earned him the Knockout of the Night honors.
In his second UFC appearance, Thompson was defeated by MMA legend Matt Brown via unanimous decision.
His first Performance of the Night bonus came after he beat the future middleweight champion Robert Whittaker via first-round TKO in 2014.
After beating the likes of Jake Ellenberger, Johny Hendricks, and Rory MacDonald, Thompson was granted a shot at the 170-pound title against the then-champion Tyron Woodley. He made a good account of himself and the fight ended in a majority draw.
Headlining UFC 209, Thompson rematched Woodley but lost via majority decision. However, many analysts scored the fight in favor of 'Wonderboy,' while others gave it to 'T-Wood', and some called it a draw.
At UFC 217, Thompson outclassed future BMF champion Jorge Masvidal to win the fight via unanimous decision.
After signing a new multi-fight contract with the promotion, Thompson lost to Darren Till and Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis, the latter being the first man to stop 'Wonderboy.'
Thompson then had a few hits and misses battling with welterweight standouts. His most recent octagon outing saw him face undefeated sensation Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296 in Dec. 2023, where he succumbed to the second round read-naked-choke of the 'Nomad.'
As of now, the 41-year-old has faced the who's who of mixed martial arts and has drawn an incredible career that any martial artist would be proud of. But his most enduring legacy might not be something he did in the cage, as 'Wonderboy' is a notoriously nice guy who's always pleasant to approach and rarely ever talks trash.
When he's relaxing, the South Carolina native likes to teach martial arts to young kids, while being a tremendous exemplar of it himself. With such an endearing personality, many of his peers have labeled him as 'NMF,' or the Nicest Motherf**ker of MMA. Veteran journalist Ariel Helwani even awarded 'Wonderboy' a belt with the same title.
Catch Ariel Helwani handing Stephen Thompson an 'NMF' belt (16:30):
Stephen Thompson believes Alex Pereira is the best striker in UFC right now
The kickboxing savant recently spoke with Submission Radio, where the host asked Stephen Thompson who he thinks is the best striker in MMA currently, to which 'Wonderboy' appeared confident that that tag belongs to the reigning light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira. He said:
“I think the best right now, and this is because he’s very, very, good is and he’s got a big name. He’s one of the most popular guys in the UFC, and it’s because of his striking, and that is in Alex Pereira. He’s very calm when he’s out there fighting which is very rare to see in this game is somebody who stays as calm as he is. Even if he’s in the heat, even if he’s hurt, he stays, you know, focused on what he’s got to do and he gets it done.”
Check out Wonderboy's comments on MMA's best striker (7:30):
For his 21st UFC fight, Stephen Thompson is scheduled to face Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Oct. 5.