Stephen Thompson got back on the winning track after nearly two years on Saturday when he defeated Kevin Holland in the UFC on ESPN 42 headliner.
Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) earned a fourth-round TKO victory by corner stoppage over Holland (23-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC), who sustained a hand injury early in the bout, in their welterweight clash at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., breaking a two-fight losing skid and putting “Wonderboy” back in the win column for the first time since December 2019.
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Thompson beating Holland at UFC on ESPN 42.
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UFC
Our #UFCOrlando main event is HERE!
@WonderboyMA and @Trailblaze2top are making their way to the Octagon!
Tune in now on @ESPN 📺📱 pic.twitter.com/zy8IlQWb4W
— UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022
Nick Kalikas
#UFCFightNight Main Event Closing Betting Odds via @CircaSports
Kevin Holland -185
Stephen Thompson +160 @UFC | @ESPN | #UFCOrlando 💰— Nick Kalikas (@FightOdds) December 4, 2022
UFC
What retirement!? @Trailblaze2top is BACK and on his way to the Octagon at #UFCOrlando!
Tune in now on @ESPN 📺📱 pic.twitter.com/dAWLtQMt4J
— UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022
UFC
Enter the Karate Kid 🥋@WonderboyMMA making the walk for another main event billing! #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/huLvtOSPuZ
— UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022
UFC
OF COURSE they touched gloves before this one 🤝 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/wBboxX9zRN
— UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022
Bloody Elbow
Low kicks from Holland open the fight. Holland looks for a wild right. Drives forward and eats a left hand and clinches Thompson to the fence. "You can let me go," Holland tells Wonderboy. #UFCOrlando
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) December 4, 2022
Kevin Iole
This is the fight that both Holland and Thompson have been looking for for a while.
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) December 4, 2022
Anton Tabuena
Holland is just walking Wonderboy down and not respecting his power.
— Anton Tabuena (@antontabuena) December 4, 2022
Daniel Rubenstein
Hell of a first round between Wonderboy and Holland. #UFCOrlando
— Daniel Rubenstein (@dannyrube) December 4, 2022
Brett Okamoto
These two smiling and joking like they're playing some casual game of ping pong and not trying to take the other's head off.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 4, 2022
Belal Muhammad
Holland showing a chin
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
Caposa
Such a weird fight but this is amazing so far. 10-9 Holland
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 4, 2022
Nick Kalikas
#UFCFightNight LIVE In-Game Wagering Odds After RD-1 via @CircaSports
Kevin Holland -305
Stephen Thompson +235 @UFC | @ESPN | #UFCOrlando 💰— Nick Kalikas (@FightOdds) December 4, 2022
Derek Brunson
Wonderboy , Machida & Raymond Daniels make karate look good in mma 🔥 #UFCOrlando
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 4, 2022
Charles Rosa
Love both these guys @ufc but
Karate > KungFu #UFCOrlando— Charles Rosa (@CharlesRosaMMA) December 4, 2022
Al Iaquinta
What a round. Wonderboy light years ahead in skill technique and iq but that power is always a threat
— Al Iaquinta🗽 (@ALIAQUINTA) December 4, 2022
Eric Nicksick
The way Kev is slipping, Wonderboy has the same side head kick set up off his cross #UFCOrlando
— Eric Nicksick (@Eric_XCMMA) December 4, 2022
Teddy Atlas
Holland knows rights land on southpaws. #UFCOrlando
— Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal) December 4, 2022
UFC
In the middle of fighting these two are living up to their nice guy reputations 😂 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/ORmyvQtE2N
— UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022
Derek Brunson
😂😂😂 yeah holland retiring again . He out here playing #UFCOrlando
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 4, 2022
Alan Jouban
We needed this!!! #UFCOrlando
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) December 4, 2022
John Makdessi
This is my style of fight. #UFCOrlando
— John Wayne Makdessi (@JohnMakdessi) December 4, 2022
Brendan Fitzgerald
this rules. #UFCOrlando
— Brendan Fitzgerald (@BrendanFitzTV) December 4, 2022
Kvin Iole
Thompson evens it at 1-1 but what a fun round. WOWOW!
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) December 4, 2022
Justin Gaethje
Hell of a fight. So awesome seeing someone make Thompson fight. Respect to both of these warriors #UFCFightNight
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) December 4, 2022
Farah Hannoun
Yeah never give Wonderboy another wrestler. What a fight! 💥 #UFCOrlando
— Farah Hannoun (@Farah_Hannoun) December 4, 2022
Mike Jackson
This is wild. #UFCOrlando
— Mike Jackson, Esq. (@TheTruthJackson) December 4, 2022
Nick Kalikas
#UFCFightNight LIVE In-Game Wagering Odds After RD-2 via @CircaSports
Kevin Holland -185
Stephen Thompson +145 @UFC | @ESPN | #UFCOrlando 💰— Nick Kalikas (@FightOdds) December 4, 2022
Lando Vannata
Two rounds in. What a great fight!
— Lando Vannata (@GroovyLando) December 4, 2022
Belal Muhammad
Let’s goo this is a war
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
Merab Dvalishvili
Wow What a great flight 🔥⚔️ @WonderboyMMA vs @Trailblaze2top #UFCOrlando
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) December 4, 2022
Eric Nicksick
I’d like to see Kev reload the cross side this round, opposed to throw right, left. Go right, right. #UFCOrlando
— Eric Nicksick (@Eric_XCMMA) December 4, 2022
Marc Raimondi
These two are in a video game. #UFCOrlando
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) December 4, 2022
Truck Gordon
Holland broke his right hand in rd 2 wow what a fight #UFCOrlando
— Truck Gordon (@TruckMMA_UFC) December 4, 2022
Marlon Vera
Quit the fucking high five thing
— C H🖕🏽T O🇪🇨V E R A (@chitoveraUFC) December 4, 2022
Fun fight tho
— C H🖕🏽T O🇪🇨V E R A (@chitoveraUFC) December 4, 2022
Alan Jouban
Holland might of broke his right hand. #UFCOrlando
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) December 4, 2022
Belal Muhammad
Holland ain’t throwing his right
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
Aaron Bronsteter
29-28 Wonderboy after three
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 4, 2022
Manny Gamburyan
Chad George
Is this the best fight in UFC history?
— chad george (@savage135) December 4, 2022
Aljamain Sterling
Really competitive fight! Nothing worse than liking both athletes and having to watch someone lose but this is the game! Let’s go fellas! #UFCOrlando
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 4, 2022
BJ Penn
Madness 🔥 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/xNyfXiPJ0I
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) December 4, 2022
Julianna Peña
Loving this fight!!! @ufc @Trailblaze2top @WonderboyMMA ! #UFCOrlando #UFCFightNight #ufc #mma #thompsonvsholland
— Julianna Peña (@VenezuelanVixen) December 4, 2022
Aaron Bronsteter
Miragliotta calls time out after accidentally waving off the fight?
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 4, 2022
Giga Chikadze
— GIGA CHIKADZE (@giga_chikadze) December 4, 2022
Derek Brunson
This is getting weird … #UFCOrlando
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 4, 2022
UFC
This one's not over yet!!
An accidental groin strike offers a pause in the action #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/KwfM8sEEiJ
— UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022
ESPN MMA
THE SOUND OF THIS KICK 🔊 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/sLrNgAoUO4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
Belal Muhammad
Holland better start wrestling idc what u promised him he’s throwing spinning kicks to kill u
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
Mike Bohn
Kevin Holland's corner stops the fight between rounds. Stephen Thompson is your #UFCOrlando main event winner. Sensational performance.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) December 4, 2022
Derek Brunson
Holland played himself here ! #UFCOrlando
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 4, 2022
Max Holloway
What a fight #UFCOrlando
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) December 4, 2022
Marc Raimondi
Wise move by Bob Perez in Holland's corner. The bout has been waved off. Wonderboy via TKO after the fourth. #UFCOrlando
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) December 4, 2022
Belal Muhammad
Glad he unretired he belongs in the octagon
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
Dillon Danis
Kevin Holland sucks and is a bitch don’t ever speak my name again.
— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) December 4, 2022
Teddy Atlas
Wow Thompson bringing new meaning to ‘kicking’ the heck out of someone. Literally! #UFCOrlando
— Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal) December 4, 2022
Shavkat Rakhmonov
Congratulations to still dangerous @WonderboyMMA and happy retirement to @Trailblaze2top
— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) December 4, 2022
Anthony Pettis
🤝@WonderboyMMA pic.twitter.com/AA2jCCmNaZ
— Anthony Pettis (@Showtimepettis) December 4, 2022
Brad Tavares
Shout out to hollands corner. I think they made the right call. No fighter wants that to happen, but sometimes you need your coaches to save you from yourself. He was taking major damage in there. What a great show by both men! Congrats @WonderboyMMA on a great win! #UFCOrlando
— Brad Tavares (@BradTavares) December 4, 2022
Tanner Boser
Well that was everything we hoped for and more I think. Hell of a fight! #UFCOrlando
— Tanner Boser (@BulldozerBoser) December 4, 2022
Francis Ngannou
Kevin is tough as hell 🤯#UFCOrlando
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) December 4, 2022
Justin Gaethje
The shot Thompson took in the 1st off the forehead that rocked the shit out of him ended up winning him the fight 😂 Crazy ass sport. That was a damn good fight. Congratulations @WonderboyMMA you definitely got the skills to pay the bills. #UFCFightNight
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) December 4, 2022
Belal Muhammad
Wonderboy vs masvidal 👀
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 4, 2022
UFC
Expect @WonderboyMMA to only come out better from here! 🗣 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/Tqh9CGBQ4b
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) December 4, 2022
Anthony Pettis
— Anthony Pettis (@Showtimepettis) December 4, 2022
ESPN
Stephen Thompson walked over to check on Kevin Holland after their fight 🤝 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/19OykeMg2j
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
