Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson may have lost by split decision at UFC Nashville, but the real damage came in the form of a gruesome leg injury that left his shin gashed open and bleeding throughout the fight.
In the co-main event on Saturday night, Thompson squared off against rising Brazilian welterweight Gabriel Bonfim at the Bridgestone Arena. While the judges handed Bonfim a razor-close split decision win, Thompson walked away with something far more shocking: a shin injury so severe it “split to the bone.”
The damage occurred in Round 2 when Thompson threw a leg kick that Bonfim checked cleanly. The result? A deep, gaping wound on “Wonderboy’s” right shin that didn’t stop bleeding for the remainder of the bout. In a twist of toughness, just seconds later, Thompson still landed a head kick on Bonfim using that same leg — nearly dropping the Brazilian — but was unable to close the show.
Thompson, 42, addressed the injury in a Twitter video after the fight.
“Well, got to get back, heal my shin up, maybe do some more shin conditioning, but love you guys,” he said, confirming the gash required stitches and had sliced down to the bone.
Nashville you are amazing! To my fans, I love y’all!! Thank you for your love and support always ❤️
Pops, thank you for always being in my corner, love you!
To my team back home, thank you for all of your help for this fight camp. I felt great out there 🙏
Thank you to my… pic.twitter.com/Hem8MVqYXg
— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) July 13, 2025
The veteran striker, now the oldest fighter on the UFC roster, hasn’t had an easy stretch. The Bonfim decision marked his third straight loss, but not without moments of brilliance. In October at UFC 307, Thompson pushed explosive contender Joaquin Buckley into the third round before being stopped. Before that, he was submitted by the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Some said that Wonderboy got robbed in the decision, but in my opinion, he didn’t do enough, especially in the first round. Also, Bonfim did a great job keeping Thompson on the ground when the fight started to get away from him. That was really the difference in the fight, when Wonderboy started to do his thing, Bonfim did enough wrestling to hold off the momentum.
It worked, too.
Despite the setbacks, Thompson remains a fan favorite and one of the division’s most respected names.
