Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland made their December bid for Fight of the Year.
The UFC on ESPN 42 main event welterweight bout kept fans on the edge of their seats at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. through four exciting rounds of intense action. Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) pulled away after an apparent hand injury to Holland (23-9 MMA, 10-6 UFC), leading to a corner stoppage before the final round.
The fight started quickly as they darted across the octagon exchanging kicks. Holland pressured forward to initiate exchanges, and Thompson repeatedly found home for counter left hands. Holland never backed down, and caught Thompson with a hard right hand that rocked him. Holland tried for the finish, but it did not come.
HOLLAND ROCKED WONDERBOY 👊 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/DPfuwpLhVp
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
After his corner told him he likely lost the opening round, Thompson came out with a more aggressive approach. “Wonderboy” went first in the early exchanges and put together nice combinations of punches and hard kicks to the body. The final minute turned into a wild brawl of unorthodox techniques with both fighters landing significantly.
In the third, Thompson continued to be the aggressor. Sharp punches and trademark karate side kicks found their target throughout the round. At one point, Holland was forced to cover up from a flurry against the fence, but rolled with the punches well to prevent a stoppage.
Holland returned to his corner holding up his right hand, indicating it may have been injured. The fight continued into the fourth round, and Thompson continued to pull away, landing an array of kicks.
THE SOUND OF THIS KICK 🔊 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/sLrNgAoUO4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
In a clinch against the cage, Thompson landed a low punch. Initially, referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the fight, but after Holland appealed, he was given time to recover from the low blow and the fight continued after the confusing moment. Unfortunately for Holland, Thompson continued to land at will, dropping him in the closing seconds of the round.
The fight would not see a fifth as the fight was stopped on the stool by Holland’s corner.
Holland and his corner decide to call off the fight after four hard fought rounds at #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/0QbvuNzD6S
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
Thompson snaps a two-fight skid with the result. The 39-year-old karate-based striker dropped consecutive outings to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad. Prior to the pair of setbacks, the multiple-time former title challenger defeated Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal in back-to-back bouts.
During his post-fight interview, Holland said he injured his hand in the first round, and it continued to get worse as the fight wore on.
Full UFC on ESPN 42 results include:
- Stephen Thompson def. Kevin Holland via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 4, 5:00
- Rafael dos Anjos def. Bryan Barberena via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:20
- Matheus Nicolau def. Matt Schnell via TKO (punches) æ Round 2, 1:44
- Sergei Pavlovich def. Tai Tuivasa via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:54
- Roman Dolidze def. Jack Hermansson via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:06
- Eryk Anders def. Kyle Daukaus via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:45
- Phil Rowe def. Niko Price via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:26
- Angela Hill def. Emily Ducote via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Clay Guida def. Scott Holtzman via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Michael Johnson def. Marc Diakiese via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jonathan Pearce def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Natan Levy def. Genaro Valdez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Francis Marshall def. Marcelo Rojo via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:14
- Yazmin Jauregui def. Istela Nunes via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:06
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
