When the scorecards were being read after his UFC Nashville co-main event bout against Gabriel Bonfim, Stephen Thompson thought he had done enough to win. Instead, he found himself on the wrong side of a controversial split decision.
“I felt I did enough to win the fight. Clean Strikes. I felt great during my movement. I felt I had more damage. The damage was in my favor,” Thompson said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“Bonfim, a tough fighter. Hats off to the guy, but when the crowd, the analysts, and team are all like this shocked about the decision something’s not right,” continued Thompson. “I’ve been in this game a long time and I know what it feels like to win a fight. And I know what if feels like to lose a fight. I feel like didn’t lose that fight.”
“I lost a fight but I felt like I won it. When you’ve got your family, your team, your friends and family back home – everybody who saw the fight thought I had won the fight.”
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The loss was Thompson’s third consecutive defeat. For the first time in a decade “Wonderboy” was not ranked in the newly released UFC welterweight rankings. Considering the damage a loss can do to a fighter’s career, Thompson would like to see more accountability for the judges.
“I think there’s got to be more accountability with the referees. I know that’s not the UFC’s fault. That’s usually the commission’s fault but there’s got to be more transparency for sure. Some more education, I feel like. when it comes to judging of these fights,” Thompson said.
Thompson has one fight left on his current UFC deal and plans to fulfill the contract.
“I do want to keep going. I’ve thought about it (retirement) of course. I’m realistic about where I’m at in my life and how my body feels. I’ve still got gas in the tank, man,” Thompson said. “I’ll talk to my team, my family, and we’ll make the right call whenever the time comes. But I feel great. I want to honor my last fight, for sure. Don’t know who, but I definitely want to make that happen.”
