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UFC Orlando: Five Things We Learned

UFC Orlando

(Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)

UFC Orlando
(Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)

UFC Orlando: Five Things We Learned

UFC Orlando did not disappoint. Coming into the event it was touted as one of the better fight night cards of 2022 and lived up to the billing.

The main event between Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland will be in the fight of the year discussion and the remainder of the main card was entertaining, boasting impressive performances from Rafael dos Anjos, Matheus Nicolau, Sergei Pavlovich and Roman Dolidze.

Overall, UFC Orlando taught us a few things and we are here to recap those lessons.

Stephen Thompson has a lot left in the tank

Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson was one of the biggest winners from UFC Orlando. He looked great in his bout against Kevin Holland. At 39 years old, Wonderboy needed a win badly. A loss would have been his third consecutive defeat, a mark a fighter wants to reach, especially in their late 30s.

In the fight, Thompson did not show any signs of aging. Typically, when a fighter gets older we see them get slower, lose their chin and have less cardio. Thompson did not exhibit one of those signs.

In the first round, we saw him get hard and he stayed in the fight. Sure, he was hurt, but the shot that Holland landed would have knocked some fighters out.

Furthermore, Thompson was able to land offensively, in large part, because of his speed. Obviously, his accuracy and timing assisted in landing strikes too. Still, Thompson was able to capitalize on openings because he was quickly able to close the distance and utilize his hand speed. Plus, his quick kicks helped him find success on the outside.

Lastly, Thompson and Holland fought at a high pace and Wonderboy did not appear to tire at all. That is a feat in itself, but it is even more impressive for Thompson since he threw so many different kicks that require a lot of energy.

This is not to say that Thompson is a perfect fighter. He still has flaws in his defensive grappling, for example. Regardless, Thompson proved that he can still strike at an incredibly high level and that he has a lot of gas in the tank.

Rafael dos Anjos can get wins at welterweight

At UFC Orlando, dos Anjos made the trip back up to welterweight and got a submission win over Bryan Barberena.

Anytime a fighter changes divisions it is important to get a win in that division. In the case of dos Anjos, it was less of a concern considering that he had already competed in the weight class. Still, he is a little older now so it is still a relief to see him get his hand raised.

Not only was this win impressive, but it was dominant. It was clear that the path to victory for dos Anjos would be to take Barberena down and control the fight. He executed that game plan to a tee and was able to top it off with a submission. It is a great example of doing exactly what you need to do to get a win.

In addition to getting a victory, dos Anjos made history. He passed Frankie Edgar as the UFC leader for fight time while eclipsing over eight hours in the UFC octagon. That is a record that we may not see broken for a very long time.

Matheus Nicolau is climbing up the rankings

At UFC Orlando, Nicolau extended his winning street to six as he knocked out Matt Schnell. This pushed Nicolau to 17-2-1 in MMA and 7-1 in the UFC.

Nicolau defeated Schnell effortlessly. He was able to stay defensively strong as he avoided the majority of the strikes coming his way. Offensively he did not throw much, but when he did throw he was highly effective. His left hook was a magnet all night. He was able to land the strike coming forward and as a counter. Ultimately, it was his right hook that finished the fight, though.

Either way, a knockout finish over Schnell is the type of performance that will raise some eyebrows.

Nicolau has quietly become a flyweight contender. He is currently the No. 6 ranked flyweight and he will likely hold that position since Schnell was ranked behind him. Despite that, Nicolau has proven that he deserves a fight against a top-five opponent.

At 29, he is entering his prime and he is improving fight-to-fight. The flyweight title picture is currently clogged by Deiveson Figueiredo, Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja. If Nicolau can get another impressive win, he may be able to work his way into that conversation.

Sergei Pavlovich is a dangerous man 

Many fighters had impressive performances at UFC Orlando, but Pavlovich may have had the best. Pavlovich got into a scrap with Tai Tuivasa and came out on top, finishing the fight in just 54 seconds.

In the bout, he put his punching power on full display as every punch he landed hurt Tuivasa badly. In the process, he avoided the swinging shots of Tuivasa.

This win legitimized Pavlovich’s spot in the heavyweight rankings. Before this fight, his resume was not up to par with other elite heavyweights. Earning a knockout finish over Tuivasa changes that.

Now, Pavlovich will enter the elite portion of the heavyweight division which puts him in a position to fight a big-name heavyweight.

Roman Dolidze Makes a Statement

Roman Dolidze was given a massive opportunity at UFC Orlando. He seized the opportunity, finishing Jack Hermansson with an impressive performance.

Dolidze was able to get in deep on a calf slicer and use the position to get a ground-and-pound stoppage. It was a great technique that rarely gets used in that fashion. Dolidze used strong offensive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to set up his strikes which earned him the finish. Overall, it is a great way to mix martial arts and get a finish.

Now that Doludze has a top-ten win, he is in an interesting position. It is hard to say what the UFC will do with Dolidze moving forward.

On one hand, his impressive performance could result in a step up in competition. This could be seen in an elite and well-known middleweight. On the other hand, the UFC may want to see him get another ranked win before they push him toward the top of the division.

In the past, the UFC has shown that they are willing to take each route. Regardless, Dolidze made a statement at UFC Orlando and got one step closer to becoming the next big middleweight prospect.

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