Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson has been fighting under the UFC banner for quite some time now. His fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296 will mark his 20th career fight in the UFC. Despite fighting in the UFC for over 10 years now, the UFC Veteran still remains one of the top guys in the promotion’s welterweight division, sitting at ranking no. 6. However, his opponent for UFC 296 is no easy customer.

Shavkat ‘Nomad’ Rakhmonov is currently one of the most dangerous prospects in the welterweight division. Rakhmonov maintains an undefeated record and currently holds the no.5 ranking in the UFC welterweight division. He also boasts a 100% finish rate. ‘Wonderboy’ will certainly need to live up to his fight moniker and pull off something wondrous to win the fight. Thompson’s nickname does fit him properly but, it makes us wonder who termed the nickname for the UFC Veteran.

How did Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson get his nickname?

Stephen Thompson’s nickname, ‘Wonderboy’, is one of MMA’s most recognizable fight monikers. During an old interview, Thompson revealed how he got his nickname in the UFC.

‘Wonderboy’ in the interview said, “I had my first fight when I was 15 years old, and my dad threw me to the dogs on that one because I was 15, I was o-0, and I fought a guy who was like 26 years old and he was like 20-0. I guess it was kind of his way of showing me I was better than I thought I was. At the time I was getting my sister ready for all of her fights and I was getting beaten up by this girl, my sister, every day, so I thought I sucked.”

‘Wonderboy,’ went on to tell how the fight went. He added, “But I ended up beating the brakes off the guy and after the fight, the commentator asked my opponent hey man, what do you feel about Stephen Thompson? He said I wondered why I stepped into the ring with this boy, and the announcer called me Wonderboy, and it stuck with me ever since.”

Stephen Thompson is undeniably an incredible talent, fit for his moniker as the ‘Wonderboy’ of MMA. His opponent, Shavkat Rakhmanov, might be the hardest fight of his career. But, the winner of the fight could potentially get the next shot at the title depending on how the main event at UFC 296 between Covington and Edwards plays out. And speaking of the main event of UFC 296, Thompson has picked his winner for the fight.

‘Wonderboy’ picks the winner for the main event of UFC 296

For the main event of UFC 296, Thompson has picked Leon Edwards as his favorite to win the fight against Colby Covington. ‘Wonderboy’ seems to believe that Edwards would be too much for Covington to deal with.

He believes that Covington has a similar fighting style to Kamaru Usman. And seeing that Edwards has Usman’s puzzle figured out, he thinks that ‘Rocky’ would be able to deal with Covington. Covington is smaller than both Usman and Edwards. Despite Covington’s insane cardio, Stephen Thompson seems to have his money on Edwards for this matchup.

Also Read: Kamaru Usman Leaving Colby Covington With a Broken and Shattered Jaw Could Mean Only One Thing for Him Against Leon Edwards, Claims Stephen Thompson

If Thompson pulls off an upset against Rakhmonov, should he be granted one last run at the welterweight strap? Or does he need to win more fights to secure a title shot? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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