Stephen Thompson, a seasoned mixed martial artist, competed with a record of 17-9-1, primarily in the UFC's welterweight division at 170 lbs. Standing tall at 6'0" with a reach of 75", he adopts an orthodox stance in the ring. Throughout his UFC career, Thompson demonstrated impressive striking skills, averaging 4.05 significant strikes per minute and maintaining a striking accuracy of 46%. However, he also absorbed an average of 3.0 strikes per minute, with a strike defense rate of 54%. His takedown attempts were minimal, averaging 0.23 per 15 minutes, and he was successful in landing one out of every three attempts. Notable victories in Thompson's career include defeating Johny Hendricks, whose ELO rating was 1152 at the time of their matchup. In his most recent five fights, Thompson competed against Belal Muhammad, Kevin Holland, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Joaquin Buckley, and Gabriel Bonfim. He suffered losses in his last four bouts, with the most recent being a split decision loss to Gabriel Bonfim on July 12, 2025. Prior to that, he scored a knockout victory over Kevin Holland in December 2022.