Stephen Thompson's Final Wish for His Farewell Fight

Pulse Sports Team 13:25 - 14 August 2026

Stephen Thompson has just one fight remaining on his current UFC contract.

Thompson (17-9-1) hasn't competed since July 2025, when he suffered a split decision loss to Gabriel Bonfim at UFC on ESPN 70. That defeat marked his third consecutive loss, and "Wonderboy" has now dropped five of his last six bouts.

The 43-year-old Thompson is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster. He aims to fulfill his contract at UFC 334 on November 14th at Madison Square Garden in New York, a venue where he has fought three times previously.

"I'm currently in talks with the UFC, and we're targeting Madison Square Garden in November," Thompson stated in an interview with Home of Fight. "I love fighting there. I've spent a lot of time on Long Island, so New York feels like a second home to me. But yes, that's the goal we're aiming for. I don't have an opponent yet, so we'll see how things unfold, but the plan is this: Madison Square Garden, November 14th, it has to happen. I actually have one fight left on my contract. So, yes, one last bout. We're looking at November and we'll see who we get. We're going through the roster, trying to find a good match for that fight night for sure."

Thompson admits he's in a challenging position. As a long-time contender and former multiple-time UFC welterweight title challenger, his losing streak has seen him fall out of the rankings for the first time in years.

"The welterweight division is like a conveyor belt of guys coming up, going down, coming back up," Thompson said. "It's just wild. It's great to see a division like that – you know, for a long time it was stagnant. We had a top guy at the top, and for a long time it was just those guys. But now there's fresh blood coming in. Look at Bonfim. He's doing really well in the division. He's climbing too. Carlos Prates is also performing very well. You have Ian Garry, who obviously earned his next shot, but it's super exciting to watch."

"And for me, I don't know where to look because I don't know what's allowed. It's been a long time since I was outside the top 10, right? So I don't know what's allowed. Can I pick someone above me? It's been a while, so I'm not sure what I can and cannot touch. That's why we're just looking through the roster right now, looking for something that makes sense. I was actually looking at Ponzinibbio, but he recently got knocked out. So that's out. But we don't know, man. We don't know. I was thinking about Ponzinibbio because he's a striker. He'll get into a fight, he's exciting too, but he got knocked out, so that won't happen. So, back to the drawing board. We'll see."