Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Stephen Thompson (red gloves) fights Joaquin Buckley (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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Stephen Thompson Injury- What happened To Wonderboy’s Shin During The Gabriel Bonfim Fight?

Get to know all about the Stephen Thompson Injury he sustained in his fight against Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Nashville!

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Stephen Thompson (red gloves) fights Joaquin Buckley (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Stephen Thompson has been through some rough patches lately in his UFC career. The karate expert who once challenged for the welterweight title has found himself on the wrong end of results more often than he would like. At 42 years old, he’s now the oldest fighter on the entire UFC roster. That’s quite a title to hold, though probably not the one ‘Wonderboy’ was hoping for when he started his martial arts journey decades ago.

Going into UFC Nashville, Thompson was desperately looking to turn things around. His last victory came almost three years ago against Kevin Holland, and since then he had been stopped twice in brutal fashion. The Nashville crowd was ready to cheer for their veteran hero, but ‘Father Time’ is harder than facing any opponent in the octagon. Gabriel Bonfim represented a chance for Thompson to get back on track against someone who wasn’t quite at the elite level of his recent opponents. Unfortunately, what happened next would make this fight memorable for all the wrong reasons.

The Gruesome Shin Injury Sustained In The Second Round

The second round started normally enough, with both fighters finding their rhythm. Thompson was actually starting to look like his old self, landing some clean strikes and moving with that trademark karate stance that made him famous. Then came the moment that made everyone in the arena wince. In the final minute of the second round, Thompson threw a kick that Bonfim checked perfectly, and the sound of shin meeting shin echoed through the Bridgestone Arena.

Brutal graphic image of the injury Stephen Thompson sustained during his bout at #UFCNashvile man is a warrior for being in his 40s, facing adversity and using that battered leg as a weapon even as it got bloodier! pic.twitter.com/TmOhZKSt0C
— serving the game (@itsmaxxkii) July 13, 2025

The result was absolutely horrific to watch. Thompson’s shin opened up like someone had taken a knife to it, with blood immediately pouring down his leg. But Thompson’s warrior spirit really showed. Instead of backing down or calling for the doctor, he actually became more aggressive. With his leg badly cut and bleeding all over the octagon floor, Thompson somehow managed to land two clean head kicks that nearly finished Bonfim. The crowd went absolutely crazy watching their hero fight through what had to be excruciating pain.

Stephen Thompson vs Gabriel Bonfim Breakdown

The first round belonged to Bonfim, who smartly targeted Thompson’s lead leg with kicks right from the start. The Brazilian managed to get his first takedown after working for it most of the round, taking Thompson’s back and looking for a rear naked choke. Thompson escaped the submission attempt and even tried some grappling of his own before they got back to their feet. The round ended with Bonfim landing a big counter left hand that probably sealed the opening round for him.

The second round was where all the drama happened. Thompson started finding his range and landed a big head kick that got the crowd on their feet. Then came the injury in the final seconds, followed by those two incredible head kicks that nearly ended the fight. Going into the third round, Thompson’s corner had to be worried about the blood loss, but their fighter showed no signs of slowing down.

The biggest moment of his career so far‼️

Gabriel Bonfim gets the Split Decision victory! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/6Icg1rBuPs
— UFC (@ufc) July 13, 2025

The final round saw Bonfim being smart about targeting that damaged shin, which was now completely opened up and bleeding everywhere. Thompson ate a clean head kick with two minutes left but kept coming forward. Bonfim managed to land another takedown that had the Nashville crowd booing loudly.

When the final horn sounded, most people thought Thompson had done enough to win. However, two judges saw it differently and gave Bonfim the split decision victory with 29-28 scorecards. The loss extended Thompson’s rough streak, but his heart and determination earned him respect from everyone watching!

(Image Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)

Gabriel Bonfim

Stephen Thompson

UFC Nashville

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!