5 Defining Moments: Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson has been nothing if not dependable since he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster more than a decade ago. No one, not even the man himself, knows how much sand remains in the hourglass.

“Wonderboy,” now 40, will look to improve upon his 12-6-1 record inside the Octagon when he confronts Michel Pereira in a UFC 291 welterweight feature on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Thompson has won three of his past five bouts. He last appeared at UFC on ESPN 42, where he snapped a two-fight losing streak with a fourth-round technical knockout of Kevin Holland on Dec. 3. It was his first finish since 2016.

As Thompson makes final preparations for his looming battle with Pereira at 170 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have helped define his career to this point:

1. Bitter Taste

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 quarterfinalist Matt Brown grounded and neutralized the previously unbeaten Thompson on his way to a unanimous decision in their UFC 145 welterweight prelim on April 21, 2012 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Scores were 30-27, 29-27 and 30-27. Thompson had flashes of brilliance, but they were too few and far between. Brown executed takedowns in all three rounds and opened multiple cuts on the South Carolina native’s face with short elbows from the top. In the third round, he swept Thompson’s legs, sliced through his guard and ultimately moved to the mounted crucifix position. Brown then transitioned to a topside triangle and battered his counterpart with punches. Thompson survived to force a decision, but his face bore the marks of a clear defeat, his first as a professional.

2. Marquee Attraction

Thompson once again showed his flair for the dramatic when he wiped out Jake Ellenberger with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches in “The Ultimate Fighter 21” Finale headliner on July 12, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Ellenberger met his end 4:29 into Round 1, buried by a dizzying array of offensive excellence. Thompson was forced to deal with some adversity along the way. The notoriously heavy-handed Ellenberger dropped the karateka to his knees with a ringing right to the side of the head, but “Wonderboy” kept his composure, lured the Nebraskan into the clinch and separated on his own terms. He knocked down Ellenberger with a hook kick and remained patient as he pursued the finish with punches. Thompson allowed “The Juggernaut” to stand, settled at his preferred range and launched a spinning wheel kick that floored the still-dazed Ellenberger. He then pounced with a left and a right, prompting the stoppage.

3. Short of the Mark

Less than four months after they fought to a draw in their first encounter, Tyron Woodley retained his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title with a majority decision over Thompson in the UFC 209 main event on March 4, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Judges Derek Cleary and Chris Lee struck 48-47 scorecards for Woodley, while Sal D’Amato scored it a 47-47 draw. The five-round rematch was marked by extended periods of frustrating inactivity, with champion and contender circling one another to a chorus of boos from those in attendance. Woodley was responsible for the two most significant bursts of offense in the fight. He executed a takedown in the second round, trapped Thompson’s arm behind his back and went to work with his ground-and-pound; and late in Round 5, Woodley sent an off-balance “Wonderboy” careening into the cage with a straight right and then met him with an overhand right that had him back on the canvas with referee John McCarthy hovering above. Thompson controlled the spaces in between—he staggered Woodley with a left hook in the third round and connected with a wheel kick in the fourth—with tactical strikes but failed to make enough of an impact to necessitate a changing of the guard at 170 pounds.

4. Tactical Master Class

Thompson returned to form and once again put his willingness to get down and dirty on display when he took a unanimous decision from Vicente Luque in a UFC 244 welterweight showcase on Nov. 2, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The South Carolina-based karateka darted in and out with punching combinations, countered effectively and outmaneuvered the resilient Luque across three entertaining rounds, drawing 30-26, 30-27 and 29-27 marks from the cageside judiciary. Thompson overcame a slow start, floored “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 21 alum with a straight left in a dominant third round and piled up points with a variety of kicks to the head, body, legs and arms. By the time it was over, he had outlanded Luque by a 138-77 margin in significant strikes.

5. Window Closes

Repeated takedowns, stifling control and hearty ground-and-pound carried Belal Muhammad to the most significant win of his career, as the onetime Titan Fighting Championship titleholder laid claim to a lopsided unanimous decision over Thompson in the UFC Fight Night 199 co-main event on Dec. 18, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it for Muhammad: 30-25, 30-26 and 30-26. Perhaps starting to look his age, Thompson was shockingly ineffective. Muhammad secured multiple takedowns in all three rounds, bled the “Wonderboy” gas tank try and had the South Carolinian searching for answers. He found none. With two rounds already in the bank, Muhammad kept his foot on the accelerator in the third. There, he grounded Thompson again and transitioned seamlessly from half guard and side control to the knee-on-belly position, feeding him elbows all the while.