Gabriel Bonfim needed some help from the judges, but he got the biggest win of his career over Stephen Thompson at UFC on ESPN 70.
Brazil’s Bonfim (18-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) entered 15 years the junior of Thompson (17-9-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC), who is the oldest active member of the UFC roster, and was pushed to his limit by “Wonderboy” by escaping with a split decision win by scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
The opening round was competitive, with striking exchanges early before Bonfim got a takedown and threatened with a rear-naked choke. Thompson escaped to the feet and upped his output late in the frame.
Bonfim went back to the grappling early in the second round, but he was met with resistance, and it turned back into a striking fight, where both men landed some good blows. The exchanges got wild late, with Thompson rocking Bonfim with a head kick but also seeing his shin split open and bloodied by a checked kick.
With the fight up for grabs in the final frame, it was straight to the grappling attempt for Bonfim. Thompson once again defended well, though, and managed to escape. He rocked Bonfim with another head kick with less than two minutes left, but allowed Bonfim to clinch against the fence and burn off the remaining time on the clock.
Two of the three judges agreed Bonfim’s work was better, and as a result he improves his impressive record with only one blemish. For Thompson, meanwhile, he has lost three consecutive bouts for the first time in his MMA career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 70 results:
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Stephen Thompson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Steve Garcia def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Morgan Charriere def. Nate Landwehr via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:27
- Vitor Petrino def. Austen Lane via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:16
- Tuco Tokkos def. Junior Tafa via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:25
- Chris Curtis def. Max Griffin via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jake Matthews def. Chidi Njokuani via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:09
- Eduarda Moura def. Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Valter Walker def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 0:54
- Mike Davis def. Mitch Ramirez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:08
- Fatima Kline def. Melissa Martinez via TKO (head kick) – Round 3, 2:36
