In the main event of UFC Orlando, a welterweight bout headlined the card as Stephen Thompson took on Kevin Holland.
Thompson entered the fight on a two-fight losing streak after being outwrestled by Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. With that, he made it clear he wanted to fight a striker and even turned down a matchup with Shavkat Rakhmonov. Meanwhile, Holland was coming off a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in a fight he took on a day’s notice which snapped his two-fight winning streak.
In the end, Thompson won by fourth-round TKO as Holland’s corner waved off the fight between the fourth and fifth rounds. Now, after UFC Orlando, here is what I think should be next for both involved in the UFC Orlando main event.
Stephen Thompson
Stephen Thompson is back in the win column and proved he still has it after he got the chance to fight a striker. His performance against Holland was one of the better performances in recent memory as he was fast and showed off his great striking.
Following the win, Thompson once again called for his next fight to be a striker as he looks to stack some wins before going on a title run. Yet, Thompson reportedly suffered a broken hand which will keep him out for some time. But, when he returns, a logical next fight is the rematch with Jorge Masvidal. Both men have said they would like the fight again and it would be a big fight on a pay-per-view with the winner getting back in the title picture.
Kevin Holland
Kevin Holland, like Stephen Thompson, also broke his hand which will keep him out of action for a bit. In the fight, he had some success early before hurting his hand which limited him as he barely threw his right hand.
After the loss, Holland will likely need a step back in competition but will always be in fun fights. A fun fight for Holland would be to take on Bryan Barberena – who lost to Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event of UFC Orlando. Both like to stand and bang and would be a scrap the fans would love to see.
What do you think should be next for Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland after UFC Orlando?