A bout between explosive welterweights marks the UFC's return to the Sunshine State on Saturday night when Stephen Thompson trades fists with Kevin Holland in the main event of UFC Orlando. Read on for our Thompson-Holland UFC picks and predictions.
This could be Thompson's last stand. As overdramatic as that sounds, the 39-year-old is entering the twilight of his career, and a loss to Holland would likely jettison him out of the 170-pound title picture permanently. He limps into this bout following a pair of losses in 20 21, dropping decisions to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad.
Following a brief “retirement,” Holland returns to the cage fresh off a loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279. Fortunately for Holland, the stink of a loss never lingered, as he was a musical-chairs style last-minute replacement, and his bout against Chimaev was more or less a favor to the UFC that helped save the entire card.
Prior to the Chimaev loss, Holland racked up consecutive stoppages of Alex Oliveira and Tim Means, and he could find himself in the top 10 if he completely lays waste to “Wonderboy.”