Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson showcased his stellar striking skills on a brilliant night of fights at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando.
Thompson produced a superb performance to finally stop Kevin Holland, whose corner pulled him out of the fight before the start of the final round, in a thrilling main event that produced a late contender for 2022's fight of the year.
The bout started at a brisk pace, with Holland edging the opening stanza after rocking "Wonderboy" late in the round.
That moment seemed to spark Thompson into life, and he emerged for the second round with more purpose and consistently beat Holland to the punch as he mixed up his strikes beautifully. Holland tried to battle back in kind, and the round turned into a wild exchange as both men connected with eye-catching shots.
"Wonderboy" really hit his stride in the third round as he continued his aggressive approach and forced Holland to cover up as he let his shots go as "Trailblazer" shelled up against the fence.
After the round, it looked like Holland told his corner he had an issue with his right hand, but he emerged for the fourth round, nonetheless. However, he was unable to turn the tide, and Thompson eventually dropped him in the final moments of the round.
That knockdown, coupled with his hand injury, prompted Holland's corner to take matters out of their fighter's hands as they pulled him out of the fight, handing the TKO win to Thompson.
"Wonderboy's" win completed a clean sweep of finishes on the seven-fight main card. Overall, Nine of the 14 bouts finished inside the distance, with eight of them producing knockouts.
UFC on ESPN 42: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Stephen Thompson def. Kevin Holland via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 4, 5:00
- Rafael dos Anjos def. Bryan Barberena via submission (neck crank) – Round 2, 3:20
- Matheus Nicolau def. Matt Schnell via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:44
- Sergei Pavlovich def. Tai Tuivasa via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:54
- Roman Dolidze def. Jack Hermansson via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:06
- Eryk Anders def. Kyle Daukaus via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:45
- Philip Rowe def. Niko Price via TKO (punch) – Round 3, 3:26
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Angela Hill def. Emily Ducote via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Clay Guida def. Scott Holtzman via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Michael Johnson def. Marc Diakiese via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jonathan Pearce def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Natan Levy def. Genary Valdez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Francis Marshall def. Marcelo Rojo via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:!4
- Yazmin Jauregui def. Istela Nunes via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:06
