Kevin Holland has reversed his decision to retire and will be back in the octagon against Stephen Thompson in December.
Kevin Holland shocked the MMA world when he announced that he was quitting the sport last week. After suffering a brutal defeat to Khamzat Chimaev, some fans speculated that the experience had been too much for ‘Trailblazer’ and that he was looking to move onto other things.
Kevin Holland is one of the most captivating fighters in the UFC. Alongside his fighting style, his charismatic persona on the microphone makes ‘Trailblazer’ a massive fan-favorite.
His decision to accept the Chimaev fight on less than two days’ notice to save the UFC 279 card further increased his popularity. This is why the news that ‘Trailblazer’ was hanging up the gloves shocked so many fans.
However, the UFC has just announced on Instagram a fight between him and veteran Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson:
“Fight fans, have we got a gift for you.”
UFC Orlando’s latest fight card
UFC Orlando will be taking place on December 3, and already has some exciting fights booked for the card.
Kevin Holland and Stephen Thompson will headline the event, with the bout currently taking place in the welterweight division. Holland last competed at 180lbs, but will return to the welterweight division for his showdown with Thompson.
For a while it seemed as if ‘Trailblazer’ was walking away from the sport. However, the American has since changed his mind. Highly-rated Mexican flyweight Tracy Cortez is set to take on Amanda Ribas in the women’s flyweight rankings. Cortez is currently ranked #13 in the women’s flyweight division and her future opponent sits at #9 in the strawweight rankings.
UFC Orlando will also play host to an interesting men’s flyweight bout, with Matheus Nicolau and Matt Schnell scheduled to fight in a three-round contest. Two MMA veterans will also go head-to-head in Orlando. Derek Brunson and Jack Hermansson are currently set to meet in the 185lbs division.
Another longtime UFC veteran, Clay Guida, is also set to feature on the stacked fight night card. Guida will take on Scott Holtzman, with both fighters currently on a losing streak. ‘The Carpenter’ lost against Claudio Puelles in his latest UFC outing, and Holtzman has lost his last two fights against Mateusz Gamrot and Beneil Dariush.
Watch highlights of Guida’s latest UFC outing here:
Eryk Anders and Kyle Daukaus will also clash in the middleweight division in Orlando. The fight card currently has two 145lbs fights scheduled. Francis Marshall will face Marcelo Rojo and Darren Elkins will fight Jonathan Pearce in December.
The lightweight division as has two more bouts as well. Long-time UFC fighter Michael Johnson once again steps into the octagon, this time facing Marc Diakiese. The other lightweight contest will see Natan Levy and Genaro Valdéz go head-to-head.
The only other two women’s bouts see Angela Hill and Emily Ducote compete in the strawweight division. Yazmin Jauregui will make her second UFC outing when taking on Istela Nunes.
Which venue will UFC Orlando take place in?
UFC Orlando is set to take place at the Amway Center in Orlando on December 3, 2022. As mentioned, the current fight card is stacked and full of interesting bouts for the UFC fanbase to get excited about.
The most recent UFC Orlando event was UFC on Fox: Emmett vs. Stephens in 2018. Jeremy Stephens and Josh Emmett headlined the card, with Jéssica Andrade taking on Tecia Torres in the co-main event.
Stephen Thompson will take on Kevin Holland in the main event for the next Orlando-based card. As mentioned, Holland had hinted at walking away from the sport unless a big fight was offered to him, but has seemingly decided to continue fighting for a little longer.
