UFC Orlando Thompson vs Holland preview
UFC Fight Night:
Thompson vs. Holland
1. Stephen Thompson (16-6-1) vs. Kevin Holland (23-8-1NC)
"Had a good run, 30 in a little over a month, got paid, I'm out". You might be asking yourself what does that even mean? The short answer... nothing really. Kevin Holland was trolling something similar to an old Conor Mac tweet. Sadly Kevin's Instagram post caught around 35 thousand likes, whereas Conor was pulling an average of 250 thousand likes at the time. So maybe that didn't hit like he hoped it would. As for his most recent outing before this social media stunt, he got D'arce choked by Khamzat Chimaev in what felt like a 2-minute steer wrestling seminar. To be fair, that was the most last-minute fight booking you might ever see, and it was 10 pounds above the fight he originally signed up for. So maybe we do him a solid and leave all that in the past. His next, actually legitimate fight, is against the one they call the 'Wonderman'. The guy is turning for-tee years old, he ain't a boy no mo'.
This should be very competitive as Stephen has done well to take very little damage in his career and Kevin may oblige him by keeping it on the feet. Stephen is vulnerable to the grappling game as we saw with his two most recent losses, but Kevin tends to favor a sparring match early in the fight. Stephen is by no means known for charging out the gates, he's more of a 'burn 2 rounds to find the distance' kickboxer, but if he can capitalize early on a wild and adjusting Kevin Holland, that would greatly benefit his cause. Look for a very measured karate stance from Stephen, heavy on the jab and side kicks. Kevin will chase him with straight punches and most likely talk to him at some point, especially if Stephen keeps the fight on his terms, slow and steady. The wild I mentioned will be any impatience from Kevin as he desperately leaps in to hit an elusive Stephen, this is the 'Wonderman's best chance at finishing the fight, he is an expert counter striker. As for Kevin, his path to victory leans heavily on making this an ugly fight. If he can charge in with feints and draw out an over-extended Stephen, that's when his game will be most deadly, but that is a lot easier said than done. He might try to catch a kick and drag it out for a single-leg takedown, then implement his superior submission game. Then again, he isn't the measured one here, but maybe... he'll surprise us?
Hardcore History: Born in Simpsonville, South Carolina in 1983, Stephen Thompson grew up in a martial arts home. His father and main corner man was a professional kickboxer. Stephen followed in his father's footsteps and had his first bout at 15 years old. Overall he went undefeated in kickboxing with an estimated 62 wins. After suffering a 1st round knee injury in his final kickboxing bout against Kenpo karate legend Raymond Daniels, he made the transition to MMA. Having trained most of his life under his father's tutelage, Stephen made the elevated transition in 2014 to training with then UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman. This joining of forces was sparked after his brother Tony married Chris' sister. His father's guidance paired with the grappling depth at Team Serra-Longo has really rounded out his game. Outside the cage, Stephen has worked with NewYork-based Modeling Agency IMG and acted in at least 2 episodes of the hit Netflix show "Cobra Kai".
Kevin Holland was born in Riverside, California in 1992. Kevin's life starkly contrasts his opponent, having grown up with both his parents in and out of the prison system. Holland found MMA around 18, a necessary outlet to avoid his own destructive path. Maybe that's part of the reason he goes by the moniker 'Trailblazer', he forged his own path. He busted onto the scene with 9 wins in his first 11 pro bouts but lit up the premier stage by amassing 5 straight wins in 2020, all at middleweight. Since March of this year, he made the intelligent move down to welterweight where he is no longer largely outsized. He won both of his welterweight fights by 2nd round finish. This upcoming match marks his 3rd welterweight bout under the UFC banner. As for his life outside the cage, in what might be a comical twist of fate, Kevin has been reprimanding criminals, inspiring Dana White to brand him "a superhero". His alleged 'heroics' include chasing down and detaining a carjacker, as well as disarming and subduing a gunman in a restaurant.
2. Jack Hermansson (23-7) vs. Roman Dolidze (11-1)
This isn't the fight we were supposed to get, but you better believe it's the fight we want. Roman is a powerhouse with only one career loss. Unfortunately, his last win came by 1st round TKO due to injury, in a highly anticipated matchup with equally brute Phil Hawes. With that in mind, this upcoming bout offers a decent shot at refocusing his trajectory and putting the top 5 middleweights on notice. His opponent, Jack Hermansson, is no joke, despite his nickname. 'The Joker' is always smiling as he aims to once again ruin the coming out party for another contender, as he did in his most recent decision win over Chris Curtis. In what will likely be a similar approach to this fight, he played matador to the bull that was an impatient Chris. He kicked the legs at will, side-stepped to evade counters, and got on his proverbial bicycle when the opposing threat loomed heavy.
The fact that this fight is a short-notice replacement bout most likely favors Jack and his evasive counterstriking strategy. Roman didn't have the liberty of training 10-12 weeks for a top 10 contender and we have no idea where his gas tank will land after 15 minutes of chasing Jack around the cage. We'll be looking for Roman to press the action early, while Jack gauges the distance and measures his opponent.
Hardcore History: Hailing from Uddevalla, Sweden. Jack currently trains out of Hellboy MMA, formerly Frontline Academy, in Oslo, Norway. His teammates include PFL veteran Marthin Hamlet and UFC veteran Emil Meek. As for the story history will tell, let's keep this current. Both his most recent win and this upcoming bout were late changes in opponents. His last time out he was scheduled to fight the immensely dangerous Darren Till and this time he was supposed to fight top 5 middleweight Derrick Brunson. Had he won those bouts, that would have been gigantic for his career, instead he's going back to back with two immeasurably tough unranked opponents. The larger casual fanbase might not grasp how risky that is. Fighting these men doesn't come with consumer recognition because they're not "household names". If you win but sustain damage or a serious injury, that could derail or suspend your career. If you lose, there's no consolation package in MMA. You drop in the rankings, you lose out on half your pay and the sport moves on. Fortunately for us, Jack isn't the type of guy to dwell on those politics. He is all too happy to keep the train rolling and silence the next upcoming middleweight. The UFC doesn't deserve him, we don't deserve him.
That confidence, that wild courage, it's admirable. But admiration doesn't win you a fight, admiration doesn't give you an extra arm going into a cage fight with Roman Dolidze. He is putting it all on the line against a vicious former light heavyweight born in a city riddled with a history of affliction and military takeover. It wasn't until 2007 that his hometown of Batumi, Georgia gained their independence from Russian military occupation. That level of tension and recent struggle can be seen in the hearts and eyes of the people. It can be seen in the way Roman fights, the way he pummeled and incapacitated Kyle Daukaus in just 73 seconds. At 20 years old, he decided to move to Ukraine, of all places. From one city to the next, both fought Russia for their independence. There he studied many grappling arts, including Sambo and Jiu Jitsu, winning many championships in different grappling promotions. Thankfully Roman has been stateside, as the war in Ukraine has ramped up. He has spent time training with the legends at A.K.A. in Northern California and Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada.
3. *Cancellation on the day of weigh-ins*
We were planning to dive deep into the pivotal flyweight battle between Tracy Cortez and Amanda Ribas, alas that fight has been canceled amid this article being written. Tracy has been pulled from the fight due to undisclosed medical reasons. 2 plus months of hard training and possibly no payout. That's the fight game for you, all risk with relatively little reward.
4. Imminent Violence:
We'll leave you with this gem, go back and watch the insane war that was Matt Schnell vs. Su Mudaerji. That should prepare you for what you might expect in his fight against Brazilian grappler Matheus Nicolau, who's rattled off 5 wins in a row. Enjoy the festivities.
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