UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | 2022-12-03 |
| Headquarters | Orlando , United States |
UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland (also referred to as UFC on ESPN 42) was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at the Amway Center located in Orlando, Florida, United States.
Background
Prior to this event, the UFC had held three occasions at the Kia Center in Orlando, the latest being in February 2018 for UFC on Fox: Emmett vs. Stephens.
The main event featured a welterweight clash between former UFC Welterweight Championship contender Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland.
A women’s strawweight encounter between Yazmin Jauregui and Istela Nunes was scheduled; however, their first meeting at UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz was called off due to an injury sustained by Nunes.
A middleweight matchup involving Jack Hermansson and Derek Brunson had been arranged, but Brunson withdrew because of injury and was subsequently replaced by Roman Dolidze.
Shortly before the event, a women’s flyweight bout between Tracy Cortez and Amanda Ribas was canceled owing to a medical issue affecting Cortez.
During the weigh-ins, Philip Rowe exceeded the welterweight limit by 2.5 pounds; despite this, his fight continued at catchweight with Rowe forfeiting 30% of his purse to his opponent, Niko Price.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were awarded as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Stephen Thompson vs. Kevin Holland
- Performance of the Night: Sergei Pavlovich and Roman Dolidze
Aftermath
This event matched the UFC record by producing eight knockouts in one night, a record previously shared by seven other events. This record was later broken on September 6, 2025, during UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs. Borralho, which saw nine knockouts.
Moreover, former UFC Lightweight Championship titleholder Rafael dos Anjos became the first fighter in UFC history to surpass eight hours of total octagon fight time.