What’s next for “Wonderboy” and the rest of the main card winners? It’s matchmaker time!

Steven ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson

‘Wonderboy’ turned back the clock on Saturday with a vintage performance reminiscent of him at his electric best as he got his first stoppage win since 2016 against unranked up-and-comer Kevin Holland. Thompson had been on a two-fight losing streak against strong wrestlers and top contenders in Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad, but now with a win under his belt once again he can look forward to fighting ranked fighters once more.

One fighter that stands out as a perfect choice for an electric match-up is the ever-chaotic Michel Pereira. Pereira is coming off a win against Santiago Ponzinibbio which earned Fight of the Night honors. That win, his fifth in a row, got him into the top fifteen at welterweight. Pereira has become a fan favorite in his short time in the UFC and Wonderboy has been for years. As Michel looks to climb further towards the top of the division and Thompson’s career potentially comes to a close — he is 39 years old — it’s an added bonus if they can keep putting on an entertaining show. This one definitely qualifies as that.

Thompson’s Next Fight: Michel Pereira

Rafael Dos Anjos

Former lightweight Rafael Dos Anjos is also coming to the end of a storied career and as a result he moved back up to welterweight, citing a desire for fun fights in the time he has left. He rebounded from his loss to Rafael Fiziev with a submission win over Bryan Barbarena in the co-main event of UFC Orlando. There are no shortage of fun fighters at welterweight and one of the most exciting ones who is also a legend of the sport is Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Brown has been apart of some amazing fights from his fight with Erick Silva to Robbie Lawler to his most recent one against Bryan Barbarena. Having two legends of two different divisions match up near the tail end of their careers is one of the best ways the UFC can honor their aging greats.

Dos Anjos’ Next Fight: Matt Brown

Matheus Nicolau

Brazilian Matheus Nicolau knocked out Matt Schnell to get his sixth win in a row which was his fourth in the UFC, keeping him undefeated in the promotion. Nicolau is inching ever closer to a title shot as Brandon Moreno and Deiveison Figueiredo look to wrap up their unprecedented quadrilogy. Alejandre Pantoja is apparently next in line for a shot at the winner of that fight, but Nicolau is close behind. Fellow top contenders Alex Perez and Kai Kara France will fight in February at UFC 284 and the winner of that fight would be perfect for Nicolau. Either man would be a stiff challenge for Nicolau and beating one of them would likely be enough to earn a future title shot.

Nicolau’s Next Fight: Winner of Alex Perez vs Kai Kara France

Sergei Pavlovich

Sergei Pavlovich made a huge statement on Saturday as the Russian knocked out fan favorite Tai Tuivasa inside of a minute. Tuivasa was coming off the back of a Fight of the Night loss to former interim champion Ciryl Gane so this win, and his last one against Derrick Lewis, proves that Pavlovich can hang with the top of the division.

None of the other top fighters are currently booked to fight so any of Curtis Blaydes, Gane, or Stipe Miocic are theoretically available, with only Aspinall out of the question due to his injury. Blaydes is on a hot streak and seemingly nearing his first UFC title shot, as is Pavlovich. A fight between the two makes sense as a number one contender fight to determine who will face the winner of a rumored Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou title fight. Blaydes is widely seen as the best wrestler in the division and Pavlovich has not faced anyone who has seriously threatened him in that area since Alistair Overeem beat him on the ground in his UFC debut, so as a bonus this fight is a good test to determine if Sergei has fixed that hole in his game.

Pavlovich’s Next Fight: Curtis Blaydes

Roman Dolidze

Roman Dolidze made a spectacular entry into the top fifteen at middleweight by being the first to finish eighth ranked Jack Hermansson since former title challenger Jared Cannonier in 2019. Now on a four fight win streak including three finishes in a row, Dolidze will look to fight another top contender after accepting and winning the Hermansson fight on short notice. Before getting injured, Derek Brunson was supposed to be Hermansson’s opponent, so it makes sense that Brunson should face the man who took Jack’s place in the rankings next. Dolidze’s slick use of a leg entanglement to set up the TKO finish showed off a level of grappling that is rare at middleweight and would provide an interesting stylistic matchup for Brunson, a wrestler.

Dolidze’s Next Fight: Derek Brunson

Eryk Anders

Eryk Anders bounced back from a losing streak with a victory of Kyle Daukaus at UFC Orlando. Anders, a former University of Alabama football player, got his first finish since 2019 and will now look to make a run at the rankings. Bruno Silva was undefeated in the UFC with three straight finishes until facing now-champion Alex Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert in 2022. Silva and Anders both have hard-hitting striking styles and would make for a competitive and entertaining fight.

Anders’ Next Fight: Bruno ‘Blindado’ Silva

Phil Rowe

Phil Rowe got the biggest win of his career when he stopped Niko Price in round three of the main card opener at UFC Orlando. Rowe moved to 3-0 in the UFC with all three wins coming by KO or TKO. A record like that deserves a ranked or nearly ranked opponent next and a perfect opponent who is also a knockout artist is Khaos Williams. Williams and Rowe are two of the hardest hitters in the welterweight division and a fight between the two of them would be a shoe-in for some kind of performance bonus with the winner looking at a shot at the rankings next.

Rowe’s Next Fight: Kalinn ‘Khaos’ Williams

The post What’s Next: UFC Orlando Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Thompson put on a striking clinic in the welterweight affair, which very much lived up to its billing as an explosive stand-up battle.

Holland found success early, rocking Thompson a couple of times in the opening round. But after sustaining a hand injury, the “Trailblazer” was forced into more of a defensive mode — and with the Karate stylings of Thompson in full effect, he was little more than a sitting duck.

By the fourth round, “Wonderboy” had Holland practically leaning on the cage to stay standing, and cracked him with a number of head kicks. And while Holland simply refused to go away, his team had seen enough. Between rounds, they threw in the towel — a brave and commendable decision in a sport that sees extended beatdowns more often than it should.

Holland lives to fight another day, although he has flirted with retirement over the past year. As for Thompson, who turns 40 in February, he instantly re-enters the conversation as a top contender, and potential title challenger, in a wide-open 170lb weight class where Leon Edwards currently reigns.

Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Orlando, meanwhile, went to Roman Dolidze and Sergei Pavlovich. Russia’s Pavlovich engaged in a brief but violent firefight with heavyweight fan-favorite Tai Tuivasa earlier on the main card, leaving the Australian bloodied. Dolidze, in a short-notice middleweight scrap against Jack Hermansson, showed some flair on the ground when he trapped Hermansson face down in a calf slicer, then trapped a wrist while dropping some heavy punches for a TKO victory.

All four bonus winning fighters will pocket an extra $50,000 for their efforts, on top of their usual fight purse, outfitting pay, etc.

The post Thompson vs. Holland Thriller Earns Fight of the Night at UFC Orlando appeared first on Cageside Press.

What was expected to be a very fun striking match-up capped off a solid night of fights at UFC Orlando in the Amway Center on Saturday night. Veteran Stephen Thompson faced the active and exciting Kevin Holland.

With little thought of grappling ahead of time, fans were hyper-focused on the potential for an explosive finish in the welterweight showdown.

Both men opened the fight with kicks to start the contest. Thompson landed a pair of strong left hands as Holland tried pushing the pace. A two-punch combination connected for Thompson and Holland answered with a knee. Yet another strong left found the mark for Wonderboy. A right hand then cracked Thompson, but he was able to survive and even landed a glancing head kick. Holland held Thompson in the Thai clinch and connected with a series of elbows. The left straight of Thompson connected again and he followed it up with a flurry. Through one round, the main event was living up to its billing.

The first significant strike of the second round was a head kick from Thompson followed by a left straight that started a combination. After some exchanges in the pocket, Thompson went to the left hand into a combination and ended it with a head kick. Kevin Holland brought the fight to the ground as the fighters got tangled up, but stood right back up to continue putting on a show. Holland wobbled Thompson, who snapped back off the fence and landed a wheel kick that rocked Holland. He followed up with a left hand as the round came to a close.

Thompson hit a switch kick in the opening minute of the third round. Holland was able to take Thompson down, but again, let him back up immediately. Thompson really opened up in the third round, mixing in powerful kicks with his combinations. The responses from Holland were fewer and farther between. A furious combo highlighted by a wheel kick battered Holland, who was unfazed. At the end of the round, it became clear that Holland had injured his right hand, which had been his weapon of choice throughout the fight.

A hook kick for Thompson opened the fourth round. Holland pushed forward and a clash of heads cut Thompson open in between the eyes. A brutal liver kick from Thompson swung the fight heavily in his favor. He followed it up with another just as heavy and Holland shot for a pair of takedowns. Thompson stuffed both and the onslaught from Thompson began. Head kicks and punches were landing with no response from Holland. He knocked him down late in the round and nearly caused a stoppage, but Holland was able to survive. However, the hand injury of Holland reared its ugly head, and the corner stopped the fight as a result.

Stephen Thompson def. Kevin Holland by TKO (Corner Stoppage) in Round 4 (5:00)

The post UFC Orlando: Stephen Thompson Delivers Career Performance Against Kevin Holand appeared first on Cageside Press.

Dos Anjos had his last bid for a title shot foiled by Rafael Fiziev in a main event last time out but his bout with now-ranked contender Renato Moicano at UFC 272 proved that he is still a force to be reckoned with for anyone. The former champion and future Hall of Famer thus returned to welterweight, citing his desire to have fun fights and cut less weight in his last fight(s) before retirement. Bryan Barbarena, of course, represented one of the most fun fights anyone could be booked against and ‘Bam Bam’ looked to extend his winning streak to four at the expense of RDA.

Barbarena came out on the front foot, pushing back the pressure fighter RDA. The two southpaws met for one exchange where they both landed before separating again. Both were feinting extensively. RDA level changed for a single leg early but Bam Bam defended it, though they ended up in the clinch against the fence. RDA then used his legs to trip the legs out from Barbarena and ended up on top in half guard against the fence. RDA tried to lock up an arm-triangle from top and he got a good grip. However, the fence was keeping him from stepping all the way off to the side.

Barbarena survived but RDA was now in mount. RDA kept one arm in the arm triangle position while softening up the body of his foe with punches. Barbarena finally escaped from the arm triangle position and regained half guard but RDA stayed on top. RDA soon stepped back over to mount, though. Barbarena twisted and turned to give up his back and then turn back somewhat so he did not get his back completely taken. The fence kept Dos Anjos from putting both hooks in as Barbarena tried to get to his feet and the round ended with RDA on top after a dominant few minutes.

The second round saw Barbarena coming forward again and so RDA clinched up. Barbarena surprisingly dropped down for a takedown of his own but RDA defended it. When Barbarena separated he did not get away quick enough and RDA level changed and dragged Barbarena down partially. Bryan stayed up somewhat using the clinch and got back to his feet, whereupon RDA dropped on another double leg and landed it as his UFC octagon time passed eight hours, the most in promotional history. Another slick foot sweep dropped Barbarena to his back with RDA again in half guard.

Bryan tried to push off the fence and could not stand up with it but did regain half guard. RDA forced Barbarena to turn his back to him and got both hooks in. RDA then locked up a seemingly tight rear-naked choke. Barbarena refused to tap at first as he tried to peel his opponent’s hands away, but the grip and squeeze were too tight and he had to submit to the legend.

This was Rafael Dos Anjos’ twenty first win in the UFC, top five all time in the promotion. Another win, against a bigger man, up a weight class at age thirty eight was no shabby addition to his already prodigious resume which contains some of the best names of all time in both the win and loss column.

In his post-fight interview, RDA called out the biggest name in the sport, Conor McGregor, and alluded to the time they were supposed to fight six years ago. Towards the end of his career such a big fight, for the most money he will ever earn, makes a lot of sense.

Official Result: Rafael Dos Anjos def. Bryan Barbarena by Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:20

The post UFC Orlando: Rafael dos Anjos Submits Bryan Barberena, Calls Out Conor McGregor appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ahead of the fight, Schnell had been precariously close to missing weight, and shaved his head to hit the mark as a result. Even his body hair reportedly went in the effort.

As expected, Nicolau and Schnell were lightning-quick, with Schnell pressing forward early, and Brazil’s Nicolau on the outside. There wasn’t a ton of action in the opening two minutes, however, as Nicolau stayed mobile — and more importantly, out of range. Schnell looked to cut off the cage, while Nicolau darted in, fired a single punch, and just as quickly escaped.

Schnell’s corner, meanwhile, advised him not to listen to the crowd, who were voicing their displeasure on how little was landing. That changed in a heartbeat, with Nicolau dropping Schnell with a left, causing the Orlando faithful to erupt! Nicolau, however, opted to let Schnell up rather than pounce. Schnell appeared no worse for the wear, and pressed forward in the final minute of the round.

Inside of a minute in round two, Schnell was put down again, and this time, Nicolau got on top, in guard. He opted not to remain there, instead backing off and letting Schnell back up. Nicolau fired another heavy blow, drawing a reaction from fans who were back in the fight. The erupted for the final time after Matheus Nicolau landed yet another blow flush on his opponent. With Schnell face down covering up, Nicolau unloaded with punches until the ref came in!

And that's it! 🗡️

🇧🇷@NicolauMatheus extends his winning streak to six with a statement win! #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/KEnBkvyJkf

— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) December 4, 2022

Following the victory, Nicolau revealed that he’d fought out his contract at UFC Orlando. “Let’s see if the UFC still has some interest in me. After that knockout, I believe that they have, and I’m ready for some big fights.”

Official Result: Matheus Nicolau def. Mat Schnell by KO, Round 2, 1:44

The post UFC Orlando: Matheus Nicolau Scores Multiple Knockdowns, Finishes Matt Schnell appeared first on Cageside Press.

The fourth and fifth ranked fighters in the heavyweight division respectively may have represented the most anticipated fight on Saturday’s card outside of the main event, as Tuivasa especially has become a fan favorite in the last year or so with his knockouts and shoeys.

An embrace in the center kicked off the fight and the big boys got to feeling each other out. Pavlovich came out swinging quickly and hurt Tuivasa but Tuivasa swung back, landing on Pavlovich. However, the Russian came back again and knocked down Tuivasa with a jab. Tai worked to get back to his feet but when he got back up he got stung again. Tai’s face began bleeding from the sheer thudding power of the punches alone and then one more big right hand dropped Tuivasa to the mat where ground and pound finished him off.

Pavlovich has now beaten Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa in back-to-back fights and stamped himself as a legitimate title contender. Questions may arise in the aftermath about whether Tai’s quick comeback after a brutal knockout loss to Ciryl Gane was premature, but the win by Pavlovich was completely legitimate and very impressive.

Official Result: Sergei Pavlovich def. Tai Tuivasa by TKO (punches), Round 1, 0:54

The post UFC Orlando: Sergei Pavlovich Knocks Out Tai Tuivasa in Opening Minute appeared first on Cageside Press.

Dolidze had stepped up on all of ten days’ notice, with a chance to crack to top 15 against the #8-ranked Swede Hermansson.

A former light heavyweight, Dolidze had a slight size advantage over Hermansson, but the Swede was far from timid, firing multiple kicks in the opening minute. Dolidze was the more stationary fighter early, with Hermansson practically bouncing on his feet in comparison.

Slightly ahead of the three-minute mark, Hermansson ducked under and landed a key takedown; Dolidze defended with a guillotine, but didn’t have it. What he did have a moment later was a sweep, but as Dolidze tried to escape, Hermansson stayed on him, tying things up along the fence.

They’d finish off the round at center, with Hermansson likely taking it on the scorecards.

Round two opened with some back-for-forth; Hermansson shot for a takedown just under a minute in, but was too far out. His kicks were on point, however. Dolidize switched stances once, then back again; moments later, he switched stances yet again. With just over two minutes in the frame, Hermansson changed levels and planted Dolidze on his back.

The Georgian looked to sweep, then locked up an arm-bar. He didn’t have that, but the triangle that followed was tighter. Hermansson was just able to pull free, but Dolidze locked up a calf-slicer, had the back, and trapped one wrist! From there, Dolidze was able to pound away with his free hand, and Hermansson was stuck — literally only able to cover up with his free hand until the ref waved things off!

https://twitter.com/FTBeard7/status/1599257375005106178

In a fight he might have been losing on the scorecards to that point, Roman Dolidze pulled off an impressive, unique finish — one that should land him another big fight moving forward.

Official Result: Roman Dolidze def. Jack Hermansson by TKO, Round 2, 4:06

The post UFC Orlando: Creativity On Display as Roman Dolidze Finishes Jack Hermansson appeared first on Cageside Press.

Eryk Anders lost a tightly contested split decision to Jun Yung Park last time out, while Daukaus was coming off of his first career knockout loss thanks to a brutal knee from Roman Dolidze (who coincidentally also fought on UFC Orlando). Both Anders and Daukaus have previously been viewed as bright prospects and winning this fight could put them back on the track of the path to the rankings.

The two southpaws came out trading low kicks. Anders had trouble landing much more than that early on while Daukaus had some decent success with his hands upstairs, especially his jab. Daukaus failed a takedown attempt eighty seconds in. Anders dumped Daukaus to the ground off of a caught kick two minutes in but refused to engage in his guard. Anders kneed Daukaus in the face hard off of a badly timed takedown attempt and Daukaus fell to his back so he could recover. Anders did not let him up, kicking at his leg instead, which let Daukaus get his composure back before standing up again. Daukaus ate a big left hook while exiting a clinch with one minute left but this time stayed on his feet.

With twenty seconds left in the round, Daukaus and Anders both threw at each other and a clash of heads knocked Daukaus down. Fortunately, referee Keith Peterson saw it and stopped the fight for a doctor to examine the hurt Daukaus. Kyle Daukaus recovered quickly though and got back to striking. He got hurt one last time by an overhand left before the bell rang. Although the round had started out well for him, he clearly lost it after getting hurt badly several times, not even including the headbutt.

The second round began on the feet of course but Daukaus went for a double leg early on and transitioned to a single leg which he tried to use to sit Anders down but Anders’ takedown defense was strong. Daukaus tried to hold onto the single leg but Anders smacked him a few times in the head and Daukaus pulled guard. Again, Anders refused to truly engage until Keith Peterson stood Daukaus up. Another big left hand from Anders dropped Kyle Daukaus again and this time Anders engaged when Daukaus pulled guard. After several dozen hammerfists, many of which were partially blocked, Keith Peterson had seen enough and stepped in, giving Eryk Anders his first finish since 2019.

Ya Boi is back in the win column!!@ErykAnders with the BIG second round finish over Kyle Daukaus 👊 pic.twitter.com/sVSLjnaEDj

— UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022

Official Result: Eryk Anders def. Kyle Daukaus by TKO (punches), Round 2, 2:45

The post UFC Orlando: Eryk Anders Drops Kyle Daukaus Several Times Before Finish appeared first on Cageside Press.

Price was coming off of a decision win over a fellow chaotic fighter in Alex Oliveira while Rowe had knocked out his last two opponents since losing his UFC debut. Although Rowe missed weight, this fight was one that, on paper, seemed likely to be exciting from start to finish and Rowe would have the benefit of a home crowd behind him, although Price is also from Florida.

Price backed up Rowe against the fence early on and was able to land a variety of leg kicks. Rowe tried to use his longer arms to stick the jab and set up the right hand but was unable to land much early on until he landed a flying knee two minutes in. Phil Rowe began to play around and showboat a little bit but the fight was close and he was likely down on the strike count. With two minutes left in the round Price landed a flurry against the fence. Rowe wobbled Price with a punch with ninety seconds left in the round but Niko quickly recovered. A late left hook and right hand landed clean also from Rowe before the bell rang. Although he got outstruck early, he made the round close and may have won it late.

Before round two Phil Rowe did push-ups and hip thrusts, showboating some more despite being in a fight. Niko was charging forward urgently to get to Rowe while Rowe looked to avoid the blitzes and counter with hard punches. Price’s output increased significantly early in the second round. Rowe shot a surprising takedown two minutes into the round and ended up in full guard. Price tried to lock up a triangle choke and Rowe stood back up, letting Price do so as well. On the feet Price was still extremely active in his awkward style but when Rowe landed his shots were cleaner and more powerful, though he did not let his hands go often.

A failed takedown by Niko Price ended with Phil Rowe on his back after a scramble and Rowe immediately locked up a body triangle. As Rowe looked to lock up a choke, Price decided to try to punch the man on his back at an awkward angle instead of focusing on defense. Rowe put an arm over Price’s chin and tried to get a neck crank but Price escaped and got back to his feet in an unusual, and indescribable, manner. The back take and sub attempt seemingly had won Phil the round but it was not a sure thing.

Rowe and Price jawed at each other before embracing at the start of round three and they immediately got to swinging to take each other’s heads off after that. One minute in to the round Price landed a big right hand that hurt Rowe and a follow up knee did more damage. Rowe got on the back foot, trying to stay alive, and he fell to his back with Price on top, raining down hammerfists before settling in half guard. Still, in half guard, Price tried to land strikes but had trouble doing so while controlling Rowe. Rowe finally came up on a body and got to his feet but Price refused to stop swinging.

Rowe came back with a straight punch that hurt a now potentially tired Niko Price. A big right hand from Rowe landed with two minutes left and Price stumbled backwards to the fence, visibly hurt and on shaky legs. ‘The Fresh Prince’ flurried non-stop with punches and collar tie knees against the fence until Price was so out of it he could not keep his head up and Mark Goddard stopped the fight. This fight represented the biggest win of Rowe’s career and he had overcome adversity against his toughest opponent to date to get his third straight knockout.

Official Result: Phil Rowe def. Niko Price by TKO (knees and punches), Round 3, 3:26

The post UFC Orlando: Phil Rowe Mounts Comeback, Stops Niko Price in Third appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.

The post UFC Orlando: Thompson vs. Holland Post-Fight Press Conference Live Stream appeared first on Cageside Press.