Getty Kevin Holland
Fan-favorite UFC fighters Kevin Holland and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson are down to fight each other.
Wonderboy, who competed for the UFC welterweight title twice, wants to get back into the Octagon as soon as possible and he’s looking to fight another striker. Enter Holland.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, took aim at Holland and Michel Pereira, another stand-up fighter.
“Anybody ranked above, below me, I really don’t care,” Thompson said via MMA News. “It doesn’t matter, to be honest with you. You’ve got a lotta guys who are coming up… Kevin Holland, who just won his fight. I know he’s calling out Sean Brady, but he’s definitely a guy that I’m keeping a close eye on as well because he’s moving up the rankings quick. He was great at 185, made the cut to 170 fairly easy.”
Holland last competed at UFC Austin earlier this month and he took out UFC veteran Tim Means with a second-round D’Arce choke. He’s 2-0 since moving down to welterweight. He also defeated Alex Oliveira at UFC 272 in March via second-round TKO.
Before that, Holland was competing at 185 pounds and although he earned some electric wins over the likes of Ronalda Souza and Joaquin Buckley, he wasn’t able to beat the top of the division. He lost back-to-back fights with Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori largely due to his wrestling deficit.
“Trailblazer’s” final middleweight bout ended as a no-contest after Holland, who was fighting Kyle Daukaus, was knocked out by an accidental clash of heads.
Holland Wants to Fight Nate Diaz in July, Thompson in September
Holland has been pursuing a fight with Nate Diaz and he told MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin that he wants to battle the UFC superstar next month. And then Wonderboy can get it in September.
“I like both matchups,” Holland said via MMA News. “Neither matchup proves that I can be the champ, but both matchups are very fun and both matchups do put me in a very good position in my life.
“Both guys, for me, I believe I can beat them several different ways. I’d completely outclass Diaz on the feet, and people rave about his jiu-jitsu over the years, but I believe that my jiu-jitsu is good enough to keep up with Diaz, if not beat him.
“And ‘Wonderboy,’ it’s like, I think I can beat ‘Wonderboy’ striking. He’s a karate guy, right? It’s his karate versus my kung-fu,” Trailblazer continued. “And then, I shouldn’t grapple with him, but if I was to grapple with him, I’m pretty sure I’d rag-doll him.”
Wonderboy Is 0-2 in His Last 2 Fights & Like Holland, He Lost Fights Due to Wrestling/Grappling
Thompson is currently ranked No. 7 in the 170-pound division, as per the official UFC standings, but has lost his last two fights.
Wonderboy met Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 in July 2021 and Belal Muhammad in December at UFC Fight Night 199. Both fights went largely the same with Burns and Muhammad controlling Wonderboy with their superior wrestling and grappling en route to decisive unanimous decision wins.
Thompson’s professional record sits at 16-6-1.