UFC Nashville features the return of the roster’s oldest fighter who still believes that he has several years left in him.
Thompson made a memorable UFC debut with a stunning victory over Dan Stittgen at UFC 143 many years ago.
After 13 years and 21 fights in the promotion, he will step into the octagon for his 22nd UFC bout this weekend against Gabriel Bonfim in Nashville.
Recent retirements by Jessica Penna and Vinc Pichel mean ‘Wonderboy’ is now the oldest fighter currently active in the UFC.
Born just 13 days before Jan Blachowicz, the former welterweight title challenger aims to continue competing and leave his mark on UFC history.
Stephen Thompson says it would be ‘cool’ to surpass Randy Couture and fight in the UFC past 47 years old
Randy Couture is often the first fighter people think of when discussing the oldest competitors in the UFC Octagon.
Known as ‘The Natural’, Couture remained successful in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions into his late forties, concluding his career at UFC 129 at age 47.
While Stephen Thompson mentioned that someone else has actually competed at an older age in the UFC, Couture remains the most prominent example of longevity.
Now 42 years old, ‘Wonderboy’ has two bouts remaining on his UFC contract and, despite a recent record of one win in his last five, continues to face top welterweight contenders.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Thompson stated he`s taking his career fight by fight and is prepared to retire if necessary, but views surpassing Couture`s age milestone as a fun goal.
He quoted, “It would be cool to beat Randy Couture’s record… It would be cool but I’ve got two fights left man and we’re gonna see them through, gonna honor them, and we’ll go out there and win these next two fights in great fashion and see if we’ll keep going. It depends on what the UFC wants to do for sure. God forbid that if it doesn’t, I’ve got other routes that I can take.”
Stephen Thompson did acknowledge the real oldest fighter to have ever competed in the UFC
Although Thompson focused on potentially breaking Randy Couture’s record, he did clarify that the absolute oldest fighter to compete in the UFC was someone from the promotion`s early days.
That distinction belongs to Ron van Clief, a participant in UFC 4 and also a martial arts movie actor.
An acclaimed karate and kung fu champion, Van Clief`s sole UFC appearance was against the legendary Royce Gracie at age 51, a bout he lost via submission.
The New York native later served as a commissioner for the UFC, retiring from active competition in 2002 at the age of 60.
Neville Whittle