ORLANDO -- Don't constitute Stephen Thompson retired of the welterweight rubric representation conscionable yet.
Thompson (17-6-1) earned 1 of the biggest wins of his vocation connected Saturday, arsenic helium stopped Kevin Holland (23-9) successful the 4th circular via TKO. Holland's caput manager Bob Perez waved disconnected the combat betwixt the 4th and 5th rounds, arsenic Holland was intelligibly suffering from an wounded to his close hand. The welterweight combat headlined UFC Fight Night wrong Amway Center.
The 170-pound contention was an adjacent back-and-forth matter for the archetypal 2 rounds, earlier Thompson started to asseverate himself successful the 3rd and fourth. Holland wounded Thompson with a dense close manus successful the opening circular and had immoderate occurrence with elbows and punches successful the clinch. As the combat progressed, however, Thompson's longer strikes proved much effective.
Thompson wounded Holland with kicks to the midsection and caput successful the 3rd round, and blitzed him with punches on the fence. The near assemblage footwear visibly wounded Holland again successful the 4th round. He tried to play it off, but the harm was precise apparent, and his violative output declined to fundamentally nothing, arsenic helium turned much and much defensive.
Despite the 2 losses successful 2021, Thompson went into Saturday's contention tied arsenic the UFC's No. 6-ranked welterweight. He holds wins implicit Geoff Neal, who is besides tied for the No. 6 ranking Vicente Luque, who is ranked No. 9. Saturday was his sixth knockout successful the UFC, which is tied for the astir knockouts successful UFC welterweight history.
According to UFC Stats, Thompson out-landed Holland successful full strikes 145 to 102. Holland took Thompson down respective times, usually successful a scramble aft some were off-balance successful their strikes, but helium repeatedly fto Thompson backmost to his feet alternatively than effort and support him connected the floor. A erstwhile middleweight, this is Holland's archetypal nonaccomplishment arsenic a welterweight.
Okamoto: Thompson surges arsenic Holland bows out | Watch Wonderboy vs. Holland connected ESPN+
UFC Orlando results
Welterweight: Rafael dos Anjos (32-14, 21-12 UFC) def. Bryan Barberena (18-9, 9-7 UFC) by submission (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
During a bout wherever dos Anjos became the antheral who has spent the astir clip successful the Octagon, the erstwhile UFC lightweight champion enactment connected an efficient, ascendant performance.
Dos Anjos bushed Barberena via submission (rear-naked choke) astatine 3:20 of the 2nd circular Saturday successful the co-main lawsuit of UFC Orlando. During the archetypal round, dos Anjos passed Frankie Edgar for the astir combat clip logged by immoderate UFC combatant successful history. By the extremity of the bout, helium had remarkably eclipsed the eight-hour people wrong the UFC cage: 8:01:49, per UFC Stats.
"Me and my team, we enactment unneurotic a gameplan," dos Anjos said. "He's pugnacious arsenic hell. That feline is big. This is my instrumentality to welterweight. I'm truthful blessed I got the W."
Afterward, dos Anjos said helium had much than earned the close to telephone idiosyncratic out. And past helium did, challenging erstwhile UFC treble champion Conor McGregor. The 2 were expected to combat each different successful 2016, but dos Anjos withdrew owed to injury.
In the archetypal circular Saturday, dos Anjos scored a takedown and astir finished Barberena with an arm-triangle choke. Barberena survived that choke and the round, but wasn't arsenic fortunate successful the second. Barberena tried clinching dos Anjos successful the 2nd and that didn't enactment retired truthful good for him.
Dos Anjos took him down, got his backmost and cinched successful the choke. Barberena had nary prime but to tap.
Dos Anjos, 38, has won 3 of his past 4 fights. The Brazilian-born combatant was making his instrumentality to welterweight successful this bout. Dos Anjos was the UFC lightweight champion successful 2015 and 2016. Barberena, a 33-year-old warring retired of Minnesota, had a three-fight winning streak snapped.
Men's flyweight: Matheus Nicolau (19-3-1, 4-0 UFC) def. Matt Schnell (16-7 1 NC, 6-5 1 NC UFC) by TKO (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Nicolau was businesslike and dangerous, knocking down Schnell aboriginal connected successful Round 1 with a consecutive near hand, past dropping him for bully successful the 2nd circular with a looping overhand close and finishing connected the canvas for the KO astatine 1:44.
But Nicolau's sixth consecutive triumph was besides a merchandise of his defense. The 29-year-old Brazilian maintained region with crisp footwork, moving successful to onshore a dense onslaught and past getting retired of the mode of everything coming backmost his way. Nicolau is No. 10 successful the ESPN men's flyweight rankings.
Schnell, 32 and from Shreveport, Louisiana, has conscionable 1 triumph successful his past 4 fights.
Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich (17-1, 5-1 UFC) def. Tai Tuivasa (15-5, 8-5 UFC) by knockout (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
1:10
Sergei Pavlovich needs little than 60 seconds to decorativeness disconnected Tai Tuivasa successful beforehand of a disappointed Orlando crowd.
Pavlovich, of Moscow, knocked retired Tuivasa with strikes successful conscionable 53 seconds, bully for his 5th consecutive first-round knockout.
No 1 expected the combat to past long, and some heavyweights obliged to that anticipation early. Pavlovich wounded Tuivasa successful 1 of the opening exchanges and walked him backmost to the fence. Tuivasa, of Australia, tried to occurrence backmost but Pavlovich showed a batch of composure. He calmly slipped Tuivasa's counterstrikes and continued to capsicum him with his close hand.
Idk who's scarier close now... Sergei oregon Francis?! Both person monolithic power! One has devastating kicks different has dominating wrestling.... Needless to accidental I look guardant to that lucifer up!#UFCOrlando
— Corey 'Overtime' Anderson (@CoreyA_MMA) December 4, 2022Eventually, Tuivasa went to the canvas adjacent the obstruction and Pavlovich continued to deed him with close hands until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in. He owns the longest progressive knockout streak successful the UFC.
Tuivasa falls to 0-2 successful his past 2 performances aft winning 5 successful a row. He suffered a third-round TKO nonaccomplishment to Ciryl Gane 3 months agone successful France.
Middleweight: Roman Dolidze (12-1, 6-1 UFC) def. Jack Hermansson (23-8, 10-6 UFC) by TKO (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Hermansson is 1 of the champion grapplers successful the middleweight division. He tried for a circular and a fractional to get the combat to the crushed and support it there. But erstwhile that happened, it didn't precisely spell arsenic planned.
Dolidze someway got Hermansson stuck successful a calf slicer method with some men's legs tied unneurotic and the unit being enactment connected Hermansson's near calf. Dolidze utilized that to fundamentally instrumentality Hermansson's backmost and rainfall down punches until referee Marc Goddard stepped successful to halt the fight. The clip of the TKO decorativeness was 4:06 of the 2nd round.
"First of all, I'm a grappler," Dolidze said. "World champion grappling."
Hermansson tried successful the archetypal circular to instrumentality Dolidze down and did erstwhile briefly, but Dolidze did a bully occupation staying connected the feet. Hermansson yet got Dolidze down with a cleanable takedown successful the 2nd round, but Dolidze was incredibly progressive disconnected his back, attacking with respective submissions. When Hermansson near his near limb down portion trying to walk Dolidze's guard, Doldize wrapped it up with his ain legs into a calf slicer. That fundamentally rendered Hermansson incapable to defend. Dolidze took the back, flattened Hermansson retired and landed hard shots from apical position.
Wow, I imagined Dolidze would sub via calf slicer.
Afterward, Dolidze said helium doesn't judge UFC prima Khamzat Chimaev volition instrumentality to welterweight, truthful helium wants Chimaev adjacent astatine 185 pounds.
"I'm here," Dolidza said. Dolidze, 34, has won 4 consecutive and present 3 successful a enactment via finish. The Georgian-born combatant who trains retired of Las Vegas was coming disconnected a first-round knockout of Phil Hawes connected Oct. 29.
Hermansson, a 34-year-old Sweden autochthonal who trains successful Norway, has alternated wins and losses successful his past 8 fights.
Middleweight: Eryk Anders (15-7 1 NC, 7-7 1 NC UFC) def. Kyle Daukaus (11-4 1 NC, 2-4 1 NC UFC) by TKO (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Anders fought much aggressively than usual, and landed respective bully shots connected his mode to a ground-and-pound finish. But it whitethorn person been an inadvertent stroke -- an accidental clash of heads -- that led to the demise of Daukaus.
When the fighters clashed heads precocious successful Round 1, Daukaus went down. Referee Kerith Peterson paused the enactment truthful helium could retrieve and beryllium evaluated by a ringside physician, but Daukaus didn't look afloat recovered, He was knocked down successful Round 2 and finished connected the canvas astatine 2:45.
YA BOI gets it done!! #UFCOrlando
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 4, 2022Anders, who is 35 and from Birmingham, Alabama, ended a two-fight losing streak. Daukaus, a 29-year-old from Philadelphia, has mislaid 2 successful a row.
Welterweight: Phil Rowe (10-3, 3-1 UFC) def. Niko Price (15-6 2 NC, 7-6 2 NC UFC) by TKO (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
1:06
Phil Rowe finishes the combat vs. Niko Price successful Round 3 to nonstop his hometown Orlando assemblage into a frenzy.
Rowe had utilized his magnitude and footwork to power the combat for 2 rounds, landing from region and avoiding overmuch of what Price threw backmost astatine him. But erstwhile Price came retired for the last circular determined to use pressure, it each appeared to beryllium connected the verge of unraveling for Rowe. Until it didn't.
Rowe withstood an in-your-face barrage that had him wobbly and astir finished. But past helium turned the tide against Price, who had emptied his state tank, and wounded him to the constituent wherever referee Marc Goddard jumped successful for a lasting TKO astatine 3:26 of the round.
Wowww what a combat #UFC281
— Bill Algeo (@ElSenorPerfecto) December 4, 2022Rowe, warring successful his Orlando location base, has won 3 successful a enactment and 10 of 11. From Cape Coral, Florida, Price has won conscionable 1 of his past five.
Strawweight: Angela Hill (15-12, 10-12 UFC) def. Emily Ducote (12-7, 1-1 UFC) by unanimous determination (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Hill walked guardant with a nonstop array of punches, kicks and knees. Ducote moved backward practically the full way, and lone occasionally offered thing successful the mode of offense. While Hill ne'er was adjacent to a finish, she was successful afloat power for 3 rounds and earned 30-27 scores from each of the judges.
The combat was astir one-sided successful Round 2, erstwhile Hill landed 67 important strikes to conscionable 16 by Ducote. Hill, 37, has won 2 successful a enactment aft a skid during which she had dropped 5 of six. Ducotte, 28, saw a four-fight winning streak travel to an end.
Lightweight: Clay Guida (38-19, 18-16 UFC) def. Scott Holtzman (14-6, 7-6 UFC) by bulk determination (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Guida turns 41 connected Thursday, but helium inactive has the vigor of a teen. The small shot of vigor from Johnsburg, Illinois, was relentless successful his forward-always mobility, and helium wore down Holtzman implicit 3 rounds successful a tightly contested fight.
All 3 judges scored the bout 29-28, with 2 going for Guida, who has won 2 of three. Holtzman, 39 and from Knoxville, Tennessee, has mislaid 3 successful a enactment and appeared to instrumentality disconnected the gloves and discontinue astatine the extremity of the bout.
Lightweight: Michael Johnson (22-18, 13-14 UFC) def. Marc Diakiese (16-6, 7-6 UFC) by unanimous determination (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Diakiese came retired assertive and flashy, throwing large kicks and landing a few, and pointing his digit and smiling whenever helium connected and his hostile missed. But Johnson would not let himself to beryllium drawn into an affectional fight, and alternatively conscionable calmly stalked his hostile for 3 rounds, landed the amended shots and fended disconnected each takedown attempt.
@Menace155 brought the 🔥 tonight. Great win, brother! #ufc #UFCFightNight #UFCOrlando
— The Leech (@LiJingliangufc) December 4, 2022As a result, the 36-year-old Johnson won for the 2nd clip successful his past 3 fights, aft 2 judges gave him 2 rounds, and the different scored each 3 successful his favor.
Diakiese, 29 and from England, saw a two-fight winning streak end.
Men's featherweight: Jonathan Pearce (14-4, 5-1 UFC) def. Darren Elkins (28-11, 17-10 UFC) by unanimous determination (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Elkins wears connected his thorax a tattoo that says "The Damage." By the extremity of 3 rounds, the harm helium was wearing connected his bruised, bloody look was beyond words, courtesy of a diversely brutal onslaught by Pearce.
Elkins sweats blood, helium opens up similar a 90s wwe match
— Terrance 'T Wrecks' McKinney (@twrecks155) December 4, 2022Pearce started with a relentless battle of beforehand kicks to the face, past added punches and elbows to that had Elkins connected the verge of being finished respective times. But Pearce, a 30-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona, conscionable kept doling retired the harm to triumph his 5th successful a enactment (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).
Elkins, who is 38 and from Indiana, has mislaid 2 of three.
Lightweight: Natan Levy (8-1, 2-1 UFC) def. Genaro Valdez (10-2, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous determination (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Levy utilized each footwear imaginable, landing damaging blows to the head, torso and legs, and had aggregate takedowns into apical power position, yet was successful a combat to the extremity against the resilient Valdez. The 31-year-old Israeli, who trains successful Las Vegas, has won his past 2 fights aft dropping his UFC debut. The judges scored 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Valdez, who is 30 and from Mexico, has mislaid successful some trips wrong the octagon.
Men's featherweight: Francis Marshall (7-0, 1-0 UFC) def. Marcelo Rojo (16-10, 0-3 UFC) by knockout (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
You don't commencement a UFC vocation overmuch much impressively than Marshall did. The 23-year-old from Jersey City, New Jersey, remained unbeaten successful his Octagon debut by clipping Rojo with a close manus and finishing him with punches connected the canvas astatine 1:14 of Round 2.
Marshall had spent overmuch of Round 1 connected apical of Rojo, aft smoothly taking him down contempt the Argentinian getting 2 toothless warnings for obstruction grabs. Rojo has mislaid each 3 of his UFC bouts.
Strawweight: Yazmin Jauregui (10-0, 2-0 UFC) def. Istela Nunes (6-4, 0-3 UFC) by TKO (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
0:48
Yazmin Jauregui finishes Istela Nunes connected the crushed to triumph the archetypal bout of the nighttime astatine UFC Fight Night.
Jauregui remained undefeated with her archetypal UFC decorativeness and 2nd triumph wrong the Octagon. The 23-year-old from Mexico dropped Nunes 3 times successful the circular and utilized dense punches and elbows connected the canvas to decorativeness the occupation astatine 4:06.
Nunes, who is 30 and from Brazil, has mislaid each 3 of her UFC bouts.
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