Former UFC welterweight title contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is slated to make his return to the octagon this summer at the UFC Fight Night event in Nashville.
The promotion announced on Friday that Thompson will face rising Brazilian prospect Gabriel Bonfim on the card. This Fight Night event is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and the undefeated Tallison Teixeira.
Thompson, holding a professional record of 17-8-1 (12-8-1 in the UFC), will aim to break a two-fight losing streak. His recent outings include defeats against Shavkat Rakhmonov and Joaquin Buckley.
“Wonderboy`s” last victory came in December 2022 when he stopped Kevin Holland. After starting his UFC career strong with eight wins in nine fights and challenging for the title in 2016, Thompson has since gone 4-8 in his subsequent 12 bouts.
Bonfim, who is 14 years younger than the American veteran, has compiled a 4-1 record under the UFC banner. He recently rebounded from an upset loss to Nicolas Dalby in 2023 with consecutive wins over Ange Loosa and Khaos Williams.
A former LFA welterweight champion known as “Marretinha,” Bonfim has showcased potent submission skills early in his octagon tenure, securing first-round finishes. This includes a Von Flue choke victory on Dana White`s Contender Series, followed by back-to-back guillotine choke wins against Mounir Lazzez and Trevin Giles in his initial UFC appearances.
