Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland had a fight that will be talked about for a long time. The 39-year-old ‘Wonderboy’ proved that he’s still got it and is definitely among the elite welterweights.
Meanwhile, Holland always wanted to fight a striker like Thompson and got his wish. He displayed an incredible show of tenacity and durability. Holland rocked Thompson earlier in the fight, however, later suffered a hand break from a spinning kick by ‘Wonderboy’ but refused to quit.
This wonderful striking battle delighted the fans and fighters alike. UFC fighters like Francis Ngannou, Justin Gaethje, Derek Brunson, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and more reacted to this incredible main event.
Kevin is tough as hell 🤯#UFCOrlando
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) December 4, 2022
What an awesome fight. Wonderboy clinic of martial arts Holland clinic on toughness
— Al Iaquinta🗽 (@ALIAQUINTA) December 4, 2022
you rareley see the towel thrown in in MMA. Honestly that was for kevins own good. mad respect to holland for his toughness and his corner. they actually care about Kevin’s health #UFCOrlando
— Randy Brown (@TouchNgo_) December 4, 2022
Big boys were throwing!!#UFCOrlando
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 4, 2022
Shout out to hollands corner. I think they made the right call. No fighter wants that to happen, but sometimes you need your coaches to save you from yourself. He was taking major damage in there. What a great show by both men! Congrats @WonderboyMMA on a great win! #UFCOrlando
— Brad Tavares (@BradTavares) December 4, 2022
Congratulations to still dangerous @WonderboyMMA and happy retirement to @Trailblaze2top
— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) December 4, 2022
Yep Vegas is going to be investing Holland after those abandoned takedown 😂😂😂 #UFCOrlando
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 4, 2022
The shot Thompson took in the 1st off the forehead that rocked the shit out of him ended up winning him the fight 😂 Crazy ass sport. That was a damn good fight. Congratulations @WonderboyMMA you definitely got the skills to pay the bills. #UFCFightNight
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) December 4, 2022
What a fight #UFCOrlando
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) December 4, 2022
Belal Muhammad, who beat Thompson tweeted this, and looks like he wants to watch Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal again. ‘Wonderboy’ beat Masvidal in their first outing and displayed an incredible striking class.
Wonderboy vs masvidal 👀
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
Fans were loving this fight and so were Thompson and Holland. None of them wanted to grapple and when they ended up on the mat, they let each other up to continue fighting on their feet. Nowadays we rarely see corner stoppages in UFC fights but after watching Holland taking all the punishments in the fight, it was a wise decision from Holland’s corner to throw in the towel.
Fans react to the banger performance by Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland
Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland put on a masterpiece in the main event of UFC Orlando. UFC fans had a treat watching two traditional strikers go against each other. This battle of Karate vs. Kung Fu will be talked about for some time.
Holland proved that he is a warrior, he absorbed a ton of damage from Thompson’s attacks, and even after suffering a broken hand, he continued fighting. However, his corner called it in the 4th round fearing Holland’s health.
Holland’s coaches should do him a favour & mercifully stop this fight, Kevin’s absorbed so many clean kicks.
— rEdsnflr (@redsnflr) December 4, 2022
Kevin Holland is not human #UFCOrlando https://t.co/skyYfABKPV
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) December 4, 2022
Looking at Holland’s condition, UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad tweeted this. He said this is why he wrestles.
And that’s why i wrestle
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
However, fight fans generally love a striking battle and they were loving this fight until it was stopped.
Kevin holland going into the 5th #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/NQMVfpyenS
— Haze (@00xhaze) December 4, 2022
the last couple rounds of wonderboy – holland basically #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/Xjt1U9DGVc
— Hektic_One (@hektic_one) December 4, 2022
Kev Holland after this fight: pic.twitter.com/YkecX5mjRW
— Hassan 🇸🇴 (@TherealHassanO) December 4, 2022
Big props to his corner for stopping the fight. Didn’t need another round of that. Kevin is too tough for his own good. Great fight.
— trots (@Ifoxay1) December 4, 2022
Fans loved this battle but also feared for Holland’s health. They took to Twitter and stated that this fight should be stopped and that’s what happened. With this win, Thompson has bounced back from his losses and will now be looking to add some more wins to add to his incredible fighting resume.
On the other hand, Holland will need to take some time off to recover and if he doesn’t retire like he said he would, we will see him fighting in the next year.
