Stephen Thompson TKO’s Kevin Holland in Fight of the Year contender – UFC Orlando Highlights

Kevin HollandFan favorite Kevin Holland made his fourth walk to the Octagon on Saturday night at UFC Orlando. Emanating from the Amway Center, ‘Trailblazer’ looked for the biggest win of his career against another fan-favorite fighter, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Holland is coming off a short-notice mauling against undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev. Prior to that, Holland […]

Kevin Holland

Fan favorite Kevin Holland made his fourth walk to the Octagon on Saturday night at UFC Orlando. Emanating from the Amway Center, ‘Trailblazer’ looked for the biggest win of his career against another fan-favorite fighter, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Holland is coming off a short-notice mauling against undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev. Prior to that, Holland was the winner of back-to-back fights. On the flip side, ‘Wonderboy’ is looking to get back to his winning ways after dropping four of his last six including back-to-back defeats against Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad.

Kevin Holland immediately came out talking and stalking his opponent, pushing the pace. Thompson landed solid strikes in the opening round, but Holland appeared to eat them without issue showing a clear difference in the power each fighter possesses. Just past the halfway point of the first round, Holland landed a massive right hand that rocked Thomspon. Holland moved in for the kill but backed away as ‘Wonderboy’ regained his bearings.

The second round brought more excitement as ‘Wonderboy’ turned up the heat, moving in on Holland repeatedly, peppering him with strikes. That trend continued into the third as Holland began to slow down. In the fourth, Thompson unloaded a barrage of kicks, including direct hits to Holland’s liver clearly compromising him. With a potentially broken hand, Holland was unable to muster any real offense in the fourth.

Going back to their corners following a frenetic fourth round, Kevin Holland and his corner opted to throw in the towel due to an injured hand.

Official Result: Stephen Thompson def. Kevin Holland via TKO (retirement) at 5:00 of Round 4

Check Out Highlights from Kevin Holland vs. Stephen Thomspon at UFC Orlando Below:

Fight Of The Year? Thompson Stops Holland!

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland squared off in a Welterweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) at UFC Orlando from inside Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Holland opened t…


UFC Fight Night: Thompson v Holland
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland squared off in a Welterweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) at UFC Orlando from inside Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

Holland opened the fight with some wild jumping kick into punches combinations … though I don’t know that they worked that well. Holland also seemed to be looking for the clinch. Meanwhile, Thompson’s straight punches were looking really fast, crisp, and accurate. Holland answered a couple minutes in with a heavy combination, but Thompson fired right back with his counter left.

At about the midway point of the round, Holland cracked “Wonderboy” with a right and wobbled his knees. Holland pushed into the clinch and landed some hard elbows, but Thompson still looked springy when he circled back to the center. Then, Thompson absolutely cracked Holland with a right hand, and “Big Mouth” just ate it!

It was an incredible round!

Thompson scored well inside the first minute of the second, catching Holland with a few crisp crosses and some heavy high kicks. Any time “Wonderboy” was remotely near punching range, Holland swung aggressively, and he didn’t miss all of those shots. Holland briefly gained top position off a scramble, but he willingly let Thompson back to his feet to keep the wildness going! Holland seemed to be dialing in his left hook. Still, Thompson was the more accurate puncher. Each time one man landed a heavy shot and seemed to have his man hurt, the other would almost immediately fire back and land something massive.

Holland started the third with an extra dose of low kicks, but Thompson answered quickly with a jumping switch kick. The chaotic pace seemed to be wearing on Holland a bit, who was exploding into his offensive bursts less frequently. Thompson’s straight punches continued landing at a good rate, while Holland did perhaps his best work in the clinch. Between rounds, Holland’s right hand seemed injured, and his corner begged him to make it an MMA fight.

Thompson opened the championship rounds with a hook kick straight to the jaw. Then, a clash of heads split open “Wonderboy.” Thompson ripped into Holland’s liver with a pair of brutal kicks, and these blows really hurt Holland. The fight moved into the clinch, then all of a sudden, the referee seemed to wave off the bout? Actually, it was a low blow and merely paused the fight.

Upon restart, Thompson spin kicked Holland straight in the face. “Trailblazer” was looking really battered, taking hard kicks and punches left and right. By the final minute of the round, Holland was just leaning on the fence, rolling with blows and occasionally firing back. Finally, Thompson knocked him down in the closing seconds of the fourth.

After the devastating fourth round, Holland’s corner made the wise decision of calling off the fight. Despite a strong start, Thompson’s martial arts mastery combined with Holland’s injured hand allowed “Wonderboy” to pull away in incredible fashion.

What.A.Fight!

Result: Stephen Thompson defeats Kevin Holland via TKO

For complete UFC Orlando: “Thompson vs. Holland” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland post-fight press conference stream

Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Join us for a live video stream of the UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland  post-fight press conference live stream which will kick off at approximately 1:30 AM ET/10:30…


MMA: SEP 07 UFC 279
Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Join us for a live video stream of the UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland  post-fight press conference live stream which will kick off at approximately 1:30 AM ET/10:30 PM PT

Join us here at BloodyElbow.com around 1:30 AM ET/10:30 PM PT for a live stream of the UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland post-fight press conference, live from Orlando, FL. You can catch the video above, and since Bloody Elbow has the best comments section of any sports site, you should stick around and participate below. Fighters like main event stars Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland will be in attendance, along with the best performers from the rest of the card, including Jonathan Pierce, Angela Hill, Yazmin Juaregi, and more.

The press conference will announce the fight of the night and performance of the night bonuses and includes the media Q&A with the fighters individually breaking down the bouts and finding out what the winners are aiming for when negotiating their next fight. We often get some great moments and quote gold from these pressers, so it’s definitely worth tuning in. Please note that depending on what time the card ends, the press conference may start later than originally scheduled.

UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland post-fight press conference stream

Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Join us for a live video stream of the UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland  post-fight press conference live stream which will kick off at approximately 1:30 AM ET/10:30…


MMA: SEP 07 UFC 279
Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Join us for a live video stream of the UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland  post-fight press conference live stream which will kick off at approximately 1:30 AM ET/10:30 PM PT

Join us here at BloodyElbow.com around 1:30 AM ET/10:30 PM PT for a live stream of the UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland post-fight press conference, live from Orlando, FL. You can catch the video above, and since Bloody Elbow has the best comments section of any sports site, you should stick around and participate below. Fighters like main event stars Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland will be in attendance, along with the best performers from the rest of the card, including Jonathan Pierce, Angela Hill, Yazmin Juaregi, and more.

The press conference will announce the fight of the night and performance of the night bonuses and includes the media Q&A with the fighters individually breaking down the bouts and finding out what the winners are aiming for when negotiating their next fight. We often get some great moments and quote gold from these pressers, so it’s definitely worth tuning in. Please note that depending on what time the card ends, the press conference may start later than originally scheduled.

Rafael dos Anjos scores second-round submission of Bryan Barberena – UFC Orlando Highlights

dos AnjosFormer UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos returned to the Octagon at UFC Orlando on Saturday night against the streaking Bryan Barberena in a welterweight showdown. Barberena entered the co-main event clash on a three-fight win streak with wins over Darian Weeks, Matt Brown, and Robbie Lawler. Dos Anjos stepped into the Amway Center intent […]

dos Anjos

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos returned to the Octagon at UFC Orlando on Saturday night against the streaking Bryan Barberena in a welterweight showdown. Barberena entered the co-main event clash on a three-fight win streak with wins over Darian Weeks, Matt Brown, and Robbie Lawler. Dos Anjos stepped into the Amway Center intent on getting back into the win column following a knockout loss to Rafael Fiziev in July.

Barberena came out immediately putting pressure on RDA. A minute into the opening round, RDA was able to clinch, pushing Barberena to the fence and securing a takedown. RDA put his grappling skills on display, nearly finishing things early with an arm triangle choke, but the fence prevented him from getting the proper positioning. Barberena came out for the second round determined to flip the script by immediately initiating a clinch with dos Anjos.

Unfortunately, the decision did not work out for ‘Bam Bam’ who once again found himself on the canvas with three minutes left in the round. Working his way around to Barberena’s back, RDA was able to lock in a rear-naked choke, forcing ‘Bam Bam’ to tap out in round two.

Official Result: Rafael dos Anjos def. Bryan Barberena via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:20 of Round 2.

Check Out Highlights From Rafael dos Anjos vs. Bryan Barberena at UFC Orlando Below:

‘RDA’ Strangles Barberena In Successful Welterweight Return

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Rafael dos Anjos and Bryan Barberena squared off in a Welterweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) at UFC Orlando from inside Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. In a strong sh…


UFC Fight Night: Barberena v Dos Anjos
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Rafael dos Anjos and Bryan Barberena squared off in a Welterweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) at UFC Orlando from inside Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. In a strong showing, dos Anjos submitted his foe in the second.

Barberena opened the fight with a lot of erratic movement and quick lead leg kicks. Dos Anjos swung big a few times then ducked into the clinch, where he was able to trip Barberena to the canvas. Almost immediately, dos Anjos was attacking an arm triangle, and it looked tight! The Brazilian couldn’t finish the choke, but he used the attempt to move into mount. As he moved from bad position to bad position, Barberena did a nice job of limiting dos Anjos’ ability to do damage.

Still, he remained stuck on bottom until the bell.

“Bam Bam” slugged his way forward early in the second, landing some good shots before trying for a takedown of his own. “RDA” quickly answered with a takedown of his own, however, dragging Barberena down along the fence. It took some effort, but dos Anjos eventually established control and shut down Barberena’s attempts to scramble. Barberena gave up his back in the process of trying to stand, and dos Anjos quickly locked up the rear naked choke for a successful return to Welterweight.

Result: Rafael dos Anjos defeats Bryan Barberena via second-round rear naked choke

For complete UFC Orlando: “Thompson vs. Holland” results and play-by-play, click HERE!