Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson’s UFC career offers a useful way to follow a karate-based striker from an eye-catching debut to two welterweight title challenges. This guide selects milestones from 2012 through July 2025, with particular attention to the seven-win run that led to Tyron Woodley and the different outcomes of their championship fights.
The karate background
Thompson learned under his father, Ray, at the family’s Upstate Karate school in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The school’s own biography identifies his black belt in American Kempo Karate. That is the starting point for understanding his background; the examples below show how his striking worked in specific MMA contests. Source: Upstate Karate’s team biography.
2012–15: kicks and punches on the way up
His UFC debut came against Dan Stittgen at UFC 143 on 4 February 2012. Thompson finished the fight with a head kick at 4:13 of round one. The contemporary report describes his low hand position and varied kicks, with Stittgen stepping into the finishing strike while trying to attack. Source: UFC 143 preliminary-card report.
Against Robert Whittaker at UFC 170 on 22 February 2014, Thompson won by TKO at 3:43 of round one. Whittaker’s early forward pressure limited Thompson’s kicking combinations, but Thompson found success with his hands and followed a knockdown with ground strikes. The contrast with his debut is useful: a karate background did not mean every finish came from a kick. Source: UFC 170 report.
Jake Ellenberger presented another test at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale on 12 July 2015. Ellenberger knocked Thompson down earlier in the round, but Thompson recovered and landed successive spinning head kicks to secure a knockout at 4:29 of round one. The result records the finish; the preceding knockdown explains the recovery that made it possible. Source: UFC’s Ellenberger–Thompson report.
2016: two different steps towards the title
Thompson stopped former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks at 3:31 of round one on 6 February 2016. Hendricks initially pushed him to the fence, but Thompson escaped the clinch and used kicks and punches to force the stoppage. It was Thompson’s sixth consecutive UFC victory. Source: UFC’s Hendricks–Thompson report.
The seventh came against Rory MacDonald in Ottawa on 18 June 2016. This time Thompson needed all five rounds, winning a unanimous decision with scores of 50–45, 50–45 and 48–47. UFC’s report records that MacDonald failed to complete a takedown. Read alongside Hendricks, it shows two distinct successes: creating a first-round finish and sustaining an advantage over 25 minutes. Source: UFC Ottawa results.
The Woodley title fights: a draw, then a defeat
Both meetings were five-round contests for Woodley’s UFC welterweight championship. The verdicts are easy to confuse, but the scorecards distinguish them.
| Event and date | Official verdict | Scorecards and title outcome |
|---|---|---|
| UFC 205 — 12 November 2016 | Majority draw | Two judges scored 47–47; the third scored 48–47 for Woodley. Woodley retained. UFC report. |
| UFC 209 — 4 March 2017 | Woodley won by majority decision | Two judges scored 48–47 for Woodley; the third scored 47–47. Woodley retained. UFC results. |
In the first fight, the two drawn cards produced the draw. In the rematch, two winning cards gave Woodley the decision. Thompson therefore challenged twice without taking the championship in either contest.
Selected results after the title challenges
Thompson returned to the win column against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 217 on 4 November 2017, taking a three-round unanimous decision. Source: UFC’s dated Thompson fight history.
On 23 March 2019 in Nashville, Anthony Pettis knocked Thompson out at 4:55 of round two. A right-hand Superman punch and follow-up strikes ended the bout. That result is a stoppage loss, separate from the judges’ decisions in the Woodley fights. Source: UFC Nashville report.
Thompson’s win over Kevin Holland in Orlando on 3 December 2022 developed over four rounds. Holland had early success, but Thompson recovered in the second round and became increasingly effective as the fight continued. Holland’s corner stopped the contest after round four; the official result was a Thompson TKO at 5:00 of that round. Source: UFC Orlando results.
Three later results, through July 2025
- 16 December 2023, UFC 296: Shavkat Rakhmonov submitted Thompson with a rear-naked choke at 4:56 of round two. UFC 296 results.
- 5 October 2024, UFC 307: Joaquin Buckley knocked Thompson out with a right hand at 2:17 of round three. UFC 307 results.
- 12 July 2025, Nashville: Gabriel Bonfim beat Thompson by split decision. Two judges scored 29–28 for Bonfim; the other scored 29–28 for Thompson. UFC’s official result and scorecards.
What to look for when revisiting these fights
Our suggested comparison is Whittaker for the punching exchanges, Hendricks for the response to an early clinch, and MacDonald for a five-round contest. Ask how Thompson creates room to strike, how an opponent closes that space, and whether the action stays standing after an entry. Those questions make the reports more useful than treating every win or loss as proof that one martial art always works or always fails.