Las Vegas, NV — If Stephen Thompson wants to fight into his 50’s like he has been saying lately, he might need to change his “Wonderboy” nickname. He is down to do it, but there is a catch.
Thompson is back for the second time in 2021 at UFC Vegas 45 this Saturday, and for the second year in a row, he closes out the year on the final card in December. “Wonderboy” is looking to rebound from a loss at UFC 264, in which he dropped a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns. He believes a dominant win over Belal Muhammad will put him right back into the title picture, where he seems to live year-round.
Earlier this week on The MMA Hour, Thompson said he wants to be the oldest fighter in the UFC. “I want to break records, man. I want to be the oldest guy who ever fought in the UFC. They are going to have to bring out a senior division or something.”
On Wednesday at the UFC Vegas 45 media day, he doubled down and said he is willing to fight as long as his body holds up. At 38 years old, his nickname “Wonderboy” is making less and less sense; however, Thompson said he would change it to “Wonderman” if the band that gave him the nickname in the first place makes a new song.
“If Tenacious D comes out with a Wonderman song, I’ll 100% change it to Wonderman. I feel like to be Wonderman, I have to grow some facial hair or something… I must have a hormone disorder because I can’t grow a thing. I grow more hair on my nose than I do on my face; it’s wild,” Thompson said.
Tenacious D, featuring actor Jack Black, are expected to be on tour this Summer, so maybe Thompson has a shot at a new nickname after all.
Watch the rest of Stephen Thompson’s UFC Vegas Media day interview above. More coverage of the event, which takes place this Saturday, December 18, 2021, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV, can be found below.
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Ricky Simon
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Diego Ferreira
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Derrick Lewis
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Chris Daukaus
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Amanda Lemos
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Belal Muhammad
