Stephen Thompson makes his first UFC appearance of 2022 on Saturday night. He steps inside the octagon to face Kevin Holland at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Let’s take a look at both men in Saturday’s main event.
Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson
Thompson made his UFC debut in 2012 and holds a career record of 16-6-1 consisting of 7 KO/TKOs and one submission. This is his seventh main event, with his first coming against Jake Ellenberger back in 2015. The 39-year-old is a two-time former title challenger but has hit a bit of bad form over the last few years, losing four of his last six fights. Although, his last two fights were losses against Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad, in which he was grappled in both fights.
‘Wonderboy’ is a sixth-dan black belt in Kempo karate. This is evident in the stance that he has adopted. He has a wide stance which allows him to bounce in and out of range very quickly. This is a skill that he has been given praise for throughout his career. It also allows him to throw kicks quickly and effortlessly. He also keeps his hands low, which enables him to throw unpredictable strikes; however, there is the added risk of being caught clean.
Kevin ‘Trailblazer’ Holland
His opponent, Kevin Holland, possesses a record of 23-8 (1 NC) and has had 16 of those fights since his UFC debut in 2018. He has 19 finishes in his 23 career victories and went 5-0 back in 2020, which put him on the map globally. This is just his third UFC main event and his first in front of fans, but that definitely won’t faze him. The 30-year-old is coming off the back of a first-round submission loss against Khamzat Chimaev – which came in the madness of UFC 279 when he had an opponent reshuffle on one day’s notice.
Regarding his style, he is a Kung Fu black belt with big power in his hands. He tends to launch a variety of unorthodox attacks and, similar to his opponent, also likes to keep his hands low. He also has very good BJJ and can be very creative off of his back. Despite that, it is unlikely we will be seeing these two men in many grappling exchanges.
How Do They Match Up?
Thompson will be looking to counter strike, so expect his opponent, ‘Trailblazer’, to be the one that is pushing the action. The experience of both guys could play a factor in this fight, and the veteran Thompson has been on this stage many times before, so he definitely won’t panic. He will be looking to outpoint Holland across the 25 minutes rather than rushing to knock him out. In my opinion, it will be interesting to see how he reacts to Holland’s unorthodox and creative attacks. I think Thompson possesses the speed advantage, whereas Holland has the power advantage. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a stoppage in this fight.
Prediction: Thompson will go out there with a point to prove following his last two losses, and we could see a masterclass performance. Stephen Thompson decision victory.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
