UFC Orlando: Stephen Thompson vs. Kevin Holland did not fail to impress, as the electrifying main card saw finishes in each of the seven fights.
The main event fight between Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland won the prestigious Fight of the Night award. Both athletes took home an extra $50,000 for their performance.
Thompson and Holland put out a true striking masterclass at UFC Orlando. Overwhelming punishment from ‘Wonderboy’ forced the ‘Trailblazer’s corner to throw in the towel after the fourth round, awarding Thompson a TKO win.
Kevin Holland was at a severe disadvantage after injuring his hands during the first round of the fight.
The promotion also gave out two Performances of the Night awards for the event. Heavyweight fighter Sergei Pavlovich earned an extra $50K for his first-round knockout win against the No. 4-ranked contender Tai Tuivasa.
UFC middleweight contender Roman Dolidze also raked in an additional $50,000 for his slick calf slicer manoeuver that led to the eventual TKO of Jack Hermansson.
In the other standout fights on the main card, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos clinched a second-round submission win over Bryan Barberena in their welterweight matchup.
Surging flyweight contender Matheus Nicolau knocked out Matt Schnell in the second round to claim the fourth win of his second tenure with the world’s largest MMA promotion.
UFC Orlando: Stephen Thompson says that he planned to disable Kevin Holland’s right hand at UFC Fight Night
Speaking on the UFC Post Show after his TKO win over Kevin Holland, the former two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson revealed that it was always his plan to disable ‘Trailbalzer’s powerful right hand.
‘Wonderboy’ explained that he fought with his right leg forward throughout the fight so he could easily throw powerful left roundhouse kicks at Holland’s right hand. The unofficial NMF (nicest motherf***er) elaborated that he was trying to break his opponent’s arm:
“A 100%, that’s why I kept the right side forward pretty much the entire time because that back left leg goes to that right elbow every time. And I was trying to break his arm, to be honest with you. I knew if I could hit him in that arm and tire it out and maybe numb it a few, he’d have a hard time throwing that right hand.”
Watch Stephen Thompson explain his fight strategy below: