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Kevin Holland and Stephen Thompson were involved in a Fight of the Year contender in the main event of UFC Fight Night 214 in Orlando this weekend.
The fight was a competitive back-and-forth affair until a hand injury suffered by Holland left him vulnerable to attacks in the fourth round. Both men landed powerful shots, but 'Wonderboy' had a visible advantage on the feet.
There has been some criticism of Holland's game plan for the fight with Stephen Thompson. His critics believe that he was attempting to 'outstrike an elite striker' instead of using a smart game plan and taking Thompson down.
One such person is Dereck Brunson, a former opponent of 'Trailblazer,' who tweeted the following after the UFC Fight Night 214 main event:
"Kevin Holland the type of guy who’d try to out moonwalk Michael Jackson , Holland the type of guy who’d try to out sing Beyoncé , Holland the type of guy who’d try to out eat Joey Chestnut, Holland the type of guy who’d try out kickbox an 50-0 kickboxer"
See the tweet below:
Kevin Holland would have had an undeniable advantage on the ground. But even after the fight briefly went to the floor, Holland refused to engage in any grappling, as he had promised.
Michael Bisping criticizes Kevin Holland for lack of grappling against Stephen Thompson
Kevin Holland was defeated by Stephen Thompson at UFC Orlando last night after his corner team called an end to the contest at the end of round 4.
Holland suffered a broken hand in round 1, and the injury continued to get worse as the fight progressed. While the option to take 'Wonderboy' to the ground was still there, Holland refused to take it and opted to keep the fight standing.
UFC commentator and former champion Michael Bisping reflected on the decision of 'Trailblazer' to neglect his superior grappling in the post-fight show. 'The Count' said the following:
"We see people say, 'The first one to shoot is a coward.' But it's allowed in the rules, it's a mixed martial arts contest. This was one of the first times, it may be the only time, that I have actually seen someone live up to that. Kevin Holland had top position, clearly, a couple of times. But he was like, 'No no, we're here to strike.' I believe he will regret that decision."
Watch the video below from 4:00:
