'Wonderboy' Stephen Thompson defeats Kevin Holland via technical knockout in the main event at UFC Orlando

After losing two fights in a row, the 39-year-old veteran was asked if he would retire. He gave a strong answer on Saturday night when he beat Kevin Holland in four rounds in the main event of the UFC Orlando event. Even though he had to get up after an early punch knocked him down, Stephen Thompson kept hitting Holland until Holland's corner mercifully stopped the fight after the fourth round. The win gets "Wonderboy" back on track after a really impressive performance. "I lost my last two matches to grapplers," Thompson said later. "I wanted to show the UFC and the fans that 'Wonderboy' is still around. I feel like I'm 25. I'm still in it for the long haul and have what it takes. He is as tough as a rock. Right now, both hands hurt because of his hard head."

Kevin Holland and Stephen Thompson

With two powerful strikers in the cage, Holland and Thompson didn't have to worry about defending takedowns, so that they could use all their foot moves. Early on, Thompson's best punch was a straight left hand, which he used to hit Holland almost every time they went at it. Holland had a very strong chin because he kept taking Thompson's best blows and hitting back with a lot of power. As the welterweights kept throwing blows at each other, Holland hit Thompson with a nasty right hand that made the two-time UFC title challenger stumble. Holland swarmed him, but Thompson could hold out until the fighters moved to the middle of the cage again.

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Thompson’s boxing combinations

Once Thompson got over being hit, he got into a rhythm and started throwing head kicks along with his boxing combinations. Holland had a hard time keeping up with his speed. Thompson's fast hands and quick kicks made things hard for Holland, who kept getting tagged every time he rushed forward. Thompson's combinations were very well thought out, and he started to hurt Holland with his punches, which let him set up his creative kicks. In the last part of the third round, "Wonderboy" hit Holland with a terrible spinning heel kick. Holland took the hit and kept coming. As the fight moved heavily in Thompson's favour, he started aiming for Holland's midsection and hit him in the ribs several times. The shots hurt Holland to the body, and he was leaning against the cage to keep from getting hurt more.

Series of spin kicks

Thompson then went for Holland's head and hit him with a series of spin kicks, but Holland still wouldn't go down. But it was clear that he was taking damage, and he was also hurting his right hand. When his coaches saw that enough was enough, they stopped the fight.

Holland said about his hand injury, "I think I hurt him in the first round, and it hurt after that." "It was a little faster than I expected, but it was exactly what I expected." It was a great fight from "Wonderboy," who has been known for a long time as one of the best fighters at 170 pounds in the UFC. However, after two losses to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad, many people wondered if his best days were already over. Thompson's win on Saturday put an end to those rumors, and he is still a threat to everyone and anyone in the welterweight rankings.

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