The UFC returned to Orlando, Florida on Saturday for the first time since 2018 — and the latest UFC Orlando card looked primed to deliver.
A deep card in terms of name value for a Fight Night event, the show was headlined by welterweights Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Kevin Holland, in a fight that was widely expected to play out on the feet. With Thompson’s slick, karate-based striking style, and Holland traditionally wrestling-averse, fans were expecting an exciting, explosive encounter for twenty-five minutes, or less.
The co-feature of the UFC Orlando card had Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena poised to complete his metamorphosis into the UFC’s “legend killer.” Having defeated Matt “The Immortal” Brown and ex-welterweight champ “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler in his last two fights, Barbernea now had another former champion in Rafael dos Anjos pit against him.
Another “Bam Bam” was also on the card, meanwhile, with Australian Tai Tuivasa choosing family over a fight in Perth next February. Rather than be in camp over Christmas, he was getting in one last fight in 2022 against Sergei Pavlovich, fresh off a win against Derrick Lewis — albeit one that had come with a somewhat controversial stoppage.
Following Saturday’s UFC Orlando card, tune in for the post-fight press conference to keep up with all the storylines following the event. A live stream is available in the embed above.
