Latest news with #GabrielBonfim
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stephen Thompson vows to fight on, aiming to break Randy Couture's mark as the oldest UFC fighter
Stephen Thompson hopes to keep fighting for as long as he can despite a third-straight loss at UFC Nashville. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Stephen Thompson still has plenty left in the tank. This past Saturday at UFC Nashville, "Wonderboy" made his 22nd octagon appearance, competing opposite Gabriel Bonfim in the co-main event. Unfortunately for the 42-year-old, he came up short via a controversial split-decision that the community largely believed he should have won. The bout was the second-to-last on Thompson's current UFC contract, and he hopes to continue his career after his next fight, barring another solid performance. Thompson shared on Tuesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show" that he ideally wants to break the record for being the oldest fighter to ever compete in the UFC. Advertisement "Depends on how I feel [after the next fight] and how the fight goes," Thompson said of his fighting future. "My goal, obviously, was to beat Randy Couture's record. I think he was like 45, maybe. He might have been 46. I feel amazing, man. I felt great after the fight, besides my foot. I felt great during the fight. I felt faster than he was. Gabriel Bonfim is only 27. I felt phenomenal. "Randy was 47? All right, let's go. That would be amazing. One hundred percent. ... It obviously has to do a lot with what happens in my next fight. I feel like if I go out there and I put on a show, and I get a good finish, why not? Let's keep going. If not, this is something that I want to plan with my family, my team, obviously, plan with the UFC. But let's go out with a bang, man." After a shaky first round against Bonfim, Thompson rallied in the final two, suffering a nasty cut on his shin with the numerous kicks he fired off. The two-time welterweight title challenger has since had the wound stitched up, making it the lesser of his injury woes. Advertisement Thompson revealed that he also broke his foot in the fight. His timetable for returning and completing the last contracted fight is unknown at this early stage, but Thompson feels he has positive momentum, regardless of his official ninth career loss. "I felt that I did enough to win the fight," Thompson said. "Clean strikes, I felt great during my moving, and I think I felt I had more damage — the damage was in my favor. Bonfim, tough fighter, hats off to the guy, but when the crowd, the analysts, and the team are all this shocked about the decision, something's not right. I've been in this game for a long time, and I know what it feels like to win a fight. I know what it's like to lose a fight. I feel like I didn't lose that fight. "I lost the fight, but I felt like I won it. When you got your family, your team, your friends and family back home. Everybody who saw the fight thought I won the fight."
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Stephen Thompson prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ESPN 70
Gabriel Bonfim and Stephen Thompson meet Saturday in the co-feature of UFC on ESPN 70 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 2-3 UFC main cards, 2025: 64-48-1 Gabriel Bonfim vs. Stephen Thompson UFC on ESPN 70 preview Bonfim (17-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) enters the biggest fight of his career thus far as a winner of back-to-back fights. Last July, he rebounded from his first career loss with a unanimous decision win over Ange Loosa. He followed that up with a second-round submission of Khoas Williams in February. ... Thompson (17-8-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) is in an opposite position, coming after back-to-back losses. "Wonderboy" last won against Kevin Holland in December 2022. Since then, he was submitted by Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296 and knocked out by Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307. Gabriel Bonfim vs. Stephen Thompson UFC on ESPN 70 expert pick, prediction The co-main event on ESPN features a potential crossroads fight at welterweight between Stephen Thompson and Gabriel Bonfim. Despite being a longtime Thompson fan, I can see why the betting public isn't too high on his chances against younger competition at this point in his career. On-paper mileage and age gaps aside, Thompson has shown a noted deterioration in his footwork down the stretch of fights, particularly when forced to retreat or maneuver along the fence. Although Thompson's distance management sensibilities were among the elite for a time, every exchange starts to feel like much more of a gamble in recent years. Thompson will have the bigger cage to move around in for this fight, but I'm not sure how safe that will keep him, considering that Bonfim seems to have solid level-changing takedowns both coming forward and off the counter. I wouldn't mind a "Wonderboy" upset, but the pick is Bonfim by submission in Round 2. Gabriel Bonfim vs. Stephen Thompson UFC on ESPN 70 odds The oddsmakers and the public are heavily favoring the younger fighter, listing Bonfim -430 and Thompson +300 via FanDuel. Gabriel Bonfim vs. Stephen Thompson UFC on ESPN 70 start time, how to watch As the co-main event, Bonfim and Thompson are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 11:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN and ESPN+.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Nashville Fight Card: Odds, Lines, Prop Bets, Predictions, Picks
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 11: (L-R) Opponents Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira of Brazil face ... More off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in on July 11, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Saturday's UFC Nashville fight card features a potential changing of the guard in the heavyweight division in the main event. In that contest, former UFC heavyweight title challenger, and all-time UFC knockout leader, Derrick Lewis faces Tallison Teixeira, who is entering his second UFC contest. In the UFC Fight Night co-main event, two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson meets the rising Gabriel Bonfim at 170 pounds. We look at the betting odds, line movement, potential prop bets, and picks for the UFC Nashville main card. UFC Nashville takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. ESPN and ESPN+ carry the fight card. UFC Nashville Fight Card Main Event: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Derrick Lewis Vs. Tallison Teixeira NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 11: Derrick Lewis poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in ... More on July 11, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Derrick Lewis (28-12-0-1) is the No. 9 fighter in the official UFC heavyweight rankings. The 40-year-old former UFC title challenger is coming off a May 2024 knockout win over Rodrigo Nascimento. Lewis, who owns the record for most knockouts in UFC history with 15, is 2-4 in his past six trips to the Octagon dating back to February 2022. Lewis has been with the UFC since 2014. He also has the UFC record for most finishes in the heavyweight division with 15. No active UFC heavyweight has as many fights in the Octagon as Lewis does at 29. Lewis has a UFC heavyweight record eight fight-night bonus awards. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 11: Tallison Teixeira of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC Fight ... More Night weigh-in on July 11, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Tallison Teixeira (8-0) joined the UFC in 2024 with a knockout win on a Dana White Contender Series card. The 25-year-old made his official UFC debut in February 2025, scoring a first-round knockout, and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus in a win over Justin Tafa. The UFC is wasting no time in throwing Teixeira into the deep end of the heavyweight pool, giving him a veteran opponent in a main event contest. All eight of Teixeira's career wins have come via first-round stoppage (seven knockouts, on submission). He has been a pro since 2021. He is ranked No. 13 in the UFC's heavyweight weight class. When the opening betting odds were first published for Lewis vs. Teixeira, Teixeira opened as the -200 betting favorite over the +165 Lewis. The betting line has shifted. Today, Teixeira is -300 to Lewis's +240. Lewis has picked up 72 percent of the bets on the UFC Nashville main event, but Teixeira has 71 percent of the handle. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 09: Tallison Teixeira of Brazil reacts after a knockout victory against ... More Justin Tafa of New Zealand in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 312 event at Qudos Bank Arena on February 09, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) If you're looking for an outcome for Lewis vs. Teixeira, I'd say lean toward the fight ending via knockout, and maybe even a first round knockout. My expectation is that the veteran who has been in the Octagon against some of the heaviest hitters in the UFC's heavyweight division is going to be anxious to test the young man who only has 35 seconds of UFC fight time to his name. We don't know much about Teixeira outside of the fact that he's bigger and younger than Lewis. And while this matchup won't answer every question we have about Teixeira, it should tell us if he is able to use his size and reach as well as take a punch from the UFC's all-time leader in knockouts. The big concern is Teixeira's defense. He can get tagged and tagged clean. That is an enormous concern. In an ideal world, Teixeira uses his length to use his kicks to hurt Lewis to the body and then finish him when Lewis is hurt. The betting pick is Teixeira to win via knockout, but that is not a very confident pick because of his limited UFC fight time and the fact that this is a UFC heavyweight scrap. UFC Nashville Fight Card Co-Main Event: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Stephen Thompson Vs. Gabriel Bonfim NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 11: (L-R) Opponents Stephen Thompson and Gabriel Bonfim of Brazil face ... More off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in on July 11, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) In the co-main event of the UFC Nashville card, Stephen Thompson faces Gabriel Bonfim. Thompson has been with the UFC since early 2012. He is the No. 12 fighter in the UFC's welterweight division. Bonfim joined the UFC in 2023. He is currently unranked. The opening odds for the UFC Nashville co-main event saw Bonfim open as a massive -400 favorite over the +310 Thompson. Those odds have shifted slightly. Today, Bonfim is a -425 favorite, while Thompson is a +310 betting underdog. Thompson has 66 percent of the bets, while Bonfim has 74 percent of the handle. The betting pick is Bonfim to win via decision. UFC Nashville Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Calvin Kattar Vs. Steve Garcia NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 11: (L-R) Opponents Calvin Kattar and Steve Garcia face off during the ... More UFC Fight Night weigh-in on July 11, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) When the betting odds were first published for the Calvin Kattar vs. Steve Garcia featherweight clash, Garcia was listed as a -140 betting favorite over the +115 Kattar. The odds have tightened a bit, but Garcia remains the favorite at -125 over Kattar, who is a +105 betting underdog. Sixty-one percent of the bets have come in on Kattar, while 69 percent of the money has been on Garcia. The pick is for Garcia to beat Kattar via decision. UFC Nashville Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Nate Landwehr Vs. Morgan Charriere NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 11: (L-R) Opponents Nate Landwehr and Morgan Charriere of France face ... More off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in on July 11, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) The opening odds for the Nate Landwehr vs. Morgan Charriere matchup found Charriere as the -225 favorite over the +185 Landwehr. Charriere remains the favorite at -275, while Landwehr comes in as the +225 underdog. Bettors are going with Landwehr. He has picked up 88 percent of the bets and 95 percent of the handle. The betting pick is Charriere to win via decision. UFC Nashville Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Vitor Petrino Vs. Austen Lane NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 11: (L-R) Opponents Vitor Petrino of Brazil and Austen Lane face off ... More during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in on July 11, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) The first of two heavyweight bouts on the UFC Nashville main card finds Vitor Petrino facing Austen Lane. Petrino opened as a whopping -650 favorite over the +475 Lane. Today, Petrino is a bigger favorite at -700, while Lane comes in as the +500 betting underdog. It's no surprise to see the bettors going with the underdog in this one because of the lopsided odds. Lane has 90 percent of the bets and 85 percent of the handle. Petrino is likely to win via knockout, but the odds might not make it worth placing a wager on Petrino in this matchup. UFC Nashville Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Junior Tafa Vs. Tuco Tokkos NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 11: (L-R) Opponents Junior Tafa of Australia and Tuco Tokkos of England ... More face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in on July 11, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Opening the UFC Nashville main card is a light heavyweight matchup between Junior Tafa and Tuco Tokkos. Tafa opened as a -160 favorite over the +135 Tokkos. Today, Tafa is -185 to Tokkos's +150. Tafa has 54 percent of the bets and 86 percent of the handle. The pick is Tafa to win via knockout. *Odds via BetMGM UFC Nashville Fight Card Prop Bets To Consider Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira does not go the distance: -900 Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira does not start Round 2: +110 Tallison Teixeira to knock out Derrick Lewis in Round 1: +135 Derrick Lewis to knock out Tallison Teixeira in Round 1: +600 Gabriel Bonfim lands more than 2.5 takedowns on Stephen Thompson: -115 Gabriel Bonfim vs. Stephen Thompson does not go the distance: -160 Steve Garcia to beat Calvin Kattar by KO/TKO: +200 Nate Landwehr Vs. Morgan Charriere either fighter by KO/TKO: +125 Vitor Petrino Vs. Austen Lane either fighter by KO/TKO: -365 Junior Tafa vs. Tuco Tokkos either fighter by KO/TKO: -250 *Odds via BetOnline UFC Nashville Fight Card: Date Saturday, July 12, 2025 UFC Nashville Fight Card: Location Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee UFC Nashville Fight Card: How to Watch Or Stream Main Card: ESPN Preliminary Card: ESPN UFC Nashville Fight Card: Fight Card Time Prelims: 6:00 p.m. ET Main Card: 9:00 p.m. ET UFC Nashville Main Card Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira - Heavyweight Stephen Thompson vs. Gabriel Bonfim - Welterweight Calvin Kattar vs. Steve Garcia - Featherweight Nate Landwehr vs. Morgan Charriere - Featherweight Vitor Petrino vs. Austen Lane - Heavyweight Junior Tafa vs. Tuco Tokkos - Light Heavyweight UFC Nashville Preliminary Card Max Griffin vs. Chris Curtis - Welterweight Jake Matthews vs. Chidi Njokuani - Welterweight Lauren Murphy vs. Eduarda Moura - Women's Flyweight Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Valter Walker - Heavyweight Mitch Ramirez vs. Mike Davis - Lightweight Fatima Kline vs. Melissa Martinez - Strawweight We will have more on the UFC Nashville fight card, inclduing full fight card results, reactions and highlights on fight night.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stephen ‘Wonderboy' Thompson is the oldest fighter in the UFC, yet still a babyface
When Vitor Belfort stepped into the Octagon for the last time against Lyoto Machida at UFC 224, he was 41 years old. A little long in the tooth to be calling himself 'The Phenom,' even if the nickname was given to him two decades earlier when the wisdoms hadn't yet come in. That's pretty much the same terrain Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson finds himself is as he gets set to fight Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Nashville on Saturday. With his boyish good looks, you might think Thompson is around 30 or so. But the reality is he's 42 years old. He's fought 21 times in the UFC over the course of 13 years. When he debuted at UFC 143 against a Midwestern slugger named Dan Stittgen, he was already 29. Advertisement To put that into perspective, multi-division UFC champion Ilia Topuria is only 28 years old right now. "Wonderboy" has heard plenty about his anachronistic nickname over the past few years, yet he's not about to switch things up in the twilight of his career. 'People ask me sometimes, when are you going to change it to 'Wonderman?'' he says. 'It's funny because, when I met Jack Black, I was like, 'I'm not changing my name until you come out with a song called 'Wonderman.' So until then, I'm still the 'Wonderboy' because I'm still walking out to that Tenacious D 'Wonderboy' song.' To take it a step further, when Thompson makes that walk at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Saturday, he will also hold the distinction of being the UFC's oldest fighter. Jan Blachowicz was born on February 24, 1983, 13 days after Wonderboy came into this world. It's both a badge of honor to outlast the field and a somewhat dubious reminder that the clock is ticking. Advertisement Toward what exactly? That's a question even Thompson doesn't have the answer to yet. Between his family's gym in South Carolina, coaching kids, his burgeoning analyst gig on UFC broadcasts and — if he may be so bold — the possibility of a late title run, life is still very much a choose your own adventure. 'To be honest with you, what I think is pretty cool about making it this far is not only am I the oldest guy in the UFC, but I've been literally in the top five, top 10 since 2013, 2014 I think,' he says. 'So, I hadn't really dropped below that since then. I think right now I finally did after getting beat by [Joaquin] Buckley. Yet I had some injuries, I was out for almost a year, so I've kind of dipped down in the rank [for the moment]. This is the first time since 2014 that that's happened, though.' It's been a solid career for Thompson even if he were to hang up the gloves tomorrow. He fought for the welterweight title twice. He has a dozen victories in the UFC, with former champions like Johny Hendricks and Robert Whittaker on his hit list. He has accumulated eight post-night bonuses, scored some of the best knockouts on record (poor Jake Ellenberger), all while staying near the top. 'I've been in the mix and fighting the elite guys in the UFC for a very long time,' he says, as fresh faced as ever. Advertisement 'I went back and watched my last fight [against Buckley], and — even though I got knocked out in the third round — I felt just as fast as I always have. I felt precise, I felt accurate. I mean, just the guys that I'm facing are just super tough guys, and that's especially true with Gabriel. He's an up-and-coming guy who was undefeated until [Nicolas] Dalby beat him. He's a stud. He's coming up, and I'm kind of one of the guys that give back to those guys that are coming up. Stephen Thompson is still fighting top-tier opposition at age 42. (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect / Reuters) 'If it wasn't for Jake Ellenberger or Rory MacDonald, Johny Hendricks, those guys giving me those opportunities when I was working my way up, I couldn't have done it. Now in the UFC, you get a lot of these guys who are holding onto their spots. You don't want to give it up to these young studs, but that's the only way to give back to these guys — give them a test, give them a chance to work their way up just like I was given that chance. So we're doing it.' The 27-year-old Bonfim has been a very dangerous out since breaking through on the Contender Series back in 2022. He has four overall finishes, all of them coming by way of submission. His latest, a late second-round D'arce choke that finished off Khaos Williams, catapulted him toward the big names of the division. Advertisement Meaning Thompson. 'He's a very aggressive striker, and he's kind of like a counter wrestler,' Thompson says. 'He's got great submissions. He's a great submission artist with his guillotine and D'arce. I mean, the guy must have a really tight squeeze, but he's dangerous everywhere. You try to take him down, he's looking for a D'arce or a guillotine. He's coming forward and throwing bombs. So I'm not taking this guy lightly whatsoever, because if you're in the UFC, you're a dangerous dude.' It's like a proverb, but "Wonderboy" doesn't like to think that he's 42 years old. He prefers 42 years young. And he still has a dream of capturing the flag late in his career. After all, Randy Couture was 45 years old when he won the heavyweight title at UFC 68. That's the mindset he says he has to carry to compete at the highest level. The one major difference from the version of Thompson who stepped into the Octagon for the first time at UFC 143 and the UFC's eldest statesman who will make the walk Saturday? Advertisement Perspective. He says that these days he soaks up every moment, because they're fleeting. 'More now than ever, because I've got two fights left in my contract and we want to see those through,' he says. 'I'm kind of going that [television] analyst route — which is a lot better than getting punched and kicked in the face, for sure, but still be a part of the game. 'But I got two fights left. I want to honor those, and depending on how well they go, we'll determine whether or not I continue to go. I think more now than ever, I'm kind of soaking everything up. Just trying to remember everything and take everything in, the crowd going crazy, the hype behind it all, you know what I'm saying? 'Just taking it all in.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
With contract winding down, Stephen Thompson hopes UFC journey marches on
At 42, Stephen Thompson is still trucking. Thompson (17-8-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) takes on Gabriel Bonfim (17-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 70 (ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Advertisement Thompson revealed to MMA Junkie that his UFC contract is winding down, but he has no intention to stop fighting just yet. "I've got two fights left, and we're going to see them through, we're going to honor them," Thompson said Tuesday. "Go out there and win these next two fights in a great fashion, and we'll see if we'll keep going. It depends on what the UFC wants to do for sure. God forbid, if it doesn't, then I've got other routes that I can take." Despite taking on another rising welterweight in Bonfim, "Wonderboy" doesn't view himself as a gatekeeper. "I'm kind of like the go-to guy in the welterweight division that – there's a lot of guys in the welterweight division, it's actually getting popular for people to try to hold onto their spot, and I'm notorious for giving these guys a shot," Thompson said. "I did it with Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal, Kevin Holland. I'm just the guy to allow these guys to come up and test themselves. Advertisement "I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for those guys – Jake Ellenberger, Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald. Those guys gave me a shot. So just giving these guys a chance to prove themselves coming up, that's kind of what it is at this point." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Nashville: Stephen Thompson future uncertain as contract nears end
