Kevin Holland Ends Retirement, Set For Main Event Against Wonderboy At UFC Orlando
The semi-retirement of Kevin Holland has come to an abrupt halt shortly after it had begun. The UFC has revealed that he will face Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in the main event at UFC Orlando on December 3rd at the Amway Center.
This 5-round fight will take place at Welterweight (170 lbs).
Stephen Thompson holds a professional record of 16-6-1 and is currently ranked #7 while Kevin Holland holds a professional record of 23-8-0 and is currently unranked.
Holland’s last fight was against Khamzat Chimaev in one of the most bizarre fight weeks of all time. Chimaev was set to headline the UFC 279 PPV but weight issues pulled him from the main event. Backstage brawls between himself and Holland led to their fight being booked at Catchweight on just 24 hours' notice. Chimaev dominated the fight, submitting Holland in under a round. This prompted a short-lived retirement out of the loser, which he has since doubled back on to face Stephen Thompson.
Thompson’s last fight was a lopsided decision loss to Belal Muhammad in December of 2021. This return will mark nearly 1 full year since his last appearance. Muhammad controlled the fight with his grappling and landed heavy ground and pound throughout. Before that Wonderboy faced Gilbert Burns in a closely contested decision loss.
Holland will look to restart his career on a big win while Wonderboy tries to protect his ranking.
