At 39, Stephen Thompson is still beating younger fighters, as Kevin Holland can attest after going four rounds with the two-time welterweight title challenger at UFC Orlando.
Holland hung on for as long as he could after taking dozens of acrobatic kicks to his body and dome. Eventually, physics kicked in and he was unable to continue, as his corner correctly called it late in the fourth round.
A hand injury triggered the end for Holland, but for Thompson it was another reminder that he’s still one hell of a dangerous fighter at 170 pounds. His co-workers gave him appropriate props on Twitter.
Here’s what the fighters had to say on the UFC Orlando main card.
What an awesome fight. Holland Martial Arts Clinic Wonderboy Clinic on Tenacity
—Al Iaquinta (@ALIAQUINTA) December 4, 2022
you rarely see the towel thrown in MMA. Honestly, it was for Kevin’s sake. mad respect to Holland for his tenacity and his corner. they actually care about Kevin’s health #UFCOrlando
—Randy Brown (@TouchNgo_) December 4, 2022
Shout out to the corner of the Netherlands. I think they made the right choice. 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 beautiful spectacle of the two men! Congratulation @WonderboyMMA on a great victory! #UFCOrlando
— Brad Tavares (@BradTavares) December 4, 2022
Yes, Vegas will invest Holland after these abandoned teardowns #UFCOrlando
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 4, 2022
The blow Thompson took to 1st from the front that upset him ended up winning him the Crazy ass sport fight. It was a damn good fight. Congratulations @WonderboyMMA you definitely have the skills to pay the bills. #UFCFightNight
— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) December 4, 2022
Congratulation to @RdosAnjosMMA on dominant victory. Great dismounts and ground work in a higher weight class. best work
— Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev (@RafaelFiziev) December 4, 2022
Call it a good curse, but other than the ending right after my last tweet, this fight wasn’t entertaining. He found the finish but after using the lateral movement to make him run on this left straight line #UFCOrlando
—Damien Brown (@beatdown155) December 4, 2022
Keep your head up boy Tai Tuivasa
And Pavlovich… you are the REAL DEAL…! #UFCOrlando
— Ciryl Gane (@ciryl_gane) December 4, 2022
This guy beats Tyson fury in boxing
-Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
Wow! Why did this guy make Tuivasa like that?
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) December 4, 2022
I don’t know who’s scarier right now…Sergei or Francis? ! Both have tremendous power! One has devastating kicks, the other has dominant wrestling… Needless to say, I’m looking forward to this match!#UFCOrlando
— Corey ‘Overtime’ Anderson (@CoreyA_MMA) December 4, 2022
Wowwww! Dolize is sharp to the ground. Jack was winning on the feet and knocked it down for some reason! Impressive sweep at the veal slicer! #UFCOrlando
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 4, 2022
Go ahead and categorize this as “crazy finishes”. Dolidze is dangerous everywhere. Damn. #UFCFightNight
— Tanner Boser (@BulldozerBoser) December 4, 2022
What a finish by anders but can’t help but wonder what damage the daukaus head takes #UFCOrlando
— Miss Kianzad UFC (@Miss Kianzad) December 4, 2022
Anders looked like he was having trouble with the punching range early on, but once he found it, there was no turning back. Flawless performance #ufcorlando
—Damien Brown (@beatdown155) December 4, 2022
It’s been FOTN for sure so far but since Rowe has missed weight and can’t get the $$ probably not #UFCOrlando
—Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) December 4, 2022
#UFC #Orlando #Tweets #Fighters #react #Stephen #Thompsons #vintage #win #Kevin #Holland