With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from December 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for December.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Stephen Thompson def. Kevin Holland at UFC on ESPN 42
Stephen Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) got back on the winning track after nearly two years when he defeated Kevin Holland (23-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC) in their welterweight headliner.
Thompson earned a fourth-round TKO victory by corner stoppage over Holland, who sustained a hand injury early in the bout, breaking a two-fight losing skid and putting “Wonderboy” back in the win column for the first time since December 2019.
THE SOUND OF THIS KICK 🔊 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/sLrNgAoUO4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
Nominee: Cameron Saaiman def. Steven Koslow at UFC 282
Cameron Saaiman (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) shined in his official octagon debut with a high-paced showcase against Steven Koslow (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup.
Although Koslow landed five takedowns over the course of the bout, Saaiman outstruck him 105-20 overall. Some of those strikes were part of the fight-ending flurry, where Saaiman battered Koslow with punches and knees for the TKO stoppage.
Nominee: Billy Quarantillo def. Alexander Hernandez at UFC 282
Billy Quarantillo (17-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) spoiled Alexander Hernandez’s (13-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) return to featherweight with a comeback finish
After losing Round 1 on all three judges’ scorecards, Quarantillo rallied to deliver a standing TKO of Hernandez in the second frame.
WHAT A COMEBACK FOR BILLY Q 💥 #UFC282 pic.twitter.com/Lx18cbkt4F
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 11, 2022
Nominee: Dricus Du Plessis def. Darren Till at UFC 282
Dricus Du Plessis (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) relied on his wrestling throughout his middleweight fight with Darren Till (18-5 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) en route to a third-round submission finish.
After a dominant first round for Du Plessis, Till was able to rally in Round 2, but Du Plessis dug deep in the final frame, getting back mount and using a rear-naked choke/face crank to seal the deal and stay unbeaten in the octagon.
DU PLESSIS GETS THE TAP ON TILL 🔥 #UFC282 pic.twitter.com/znIzPgbJLk
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 11, 2022
The winner
The winner: Stephen Thompson vs. Kevin Holland
Thompson and Holland made their December bid for Fight of the Year with a welterweight bout kept fans on the edge of their seats through four exciting rounds of intense action. Thompson pulled away after an apparent hand injury to Holland, leading to a corner stoppage before the final round.
The fight started quickly as they darted across the octagon exchanging kicks. Holland pressured forward to initiate exchanges, and Thompson repeatedly found home for counter left hands. Holland never backed down, and caught Thompson with a hard right hand that rocked him. Holland tried for the finish, but it did not come.
HOLLAND ROCKED WONDERBOY 👊 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/DPfuwpLhVp
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
After his corner told him he likely lost the opening round, Thompson came out with a more aggressive approach. “Wonderboy” went first in the early exchanges and put together nice combinations of punches and hard kicks to the body. The final minute turned into a wild brawl of unorthodox techniques with both fighters landing significantly.
In the third, Thompson continued to be the aggressor. Sharp punches and trademark karate side kicks found their target throughout the round. At one point, Holland was forced to cover up from a flurry against the fence, but rolled with the punches well to prevent a stoppage.
Holland returned to his corner holding up his right hand, indicating it may have been injured. The fight continued into the fourth round, and Thompson continued to pull away, landing an array of kicks.
THE SOUND OF THIS KICK 🔊 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/sLrNgAoUO4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
In a clinch against the cage, Thompson landed a low punch. Initially, referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the fight, but after Holland appealed, he was given time to recover from the low blow and the fight continued after the confusing moment. Unfortunately for Holland, Thompson continued to land at will, dropping him in the closing seconds of the round.
The fight would not see a fifth as the fight was stopped on the stool by Holland’s corner.
Holland and his corner decide to call off the fight after four hard fought rounds at #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/0QbvuNzD6S
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
Thompson snaps a two-fight skid with the result. The 39-year-old karate-based striker dropped consecutive outings to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad. Prior to the pair of setbacks, the multiple-time former title challenger defeated Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal in back-to-back bouts.
During his post-fight interview, Holland said he injured his hand in the first round, and it continued to get worse as the fight wore on. Days later, Thompson revealed he’d broke his hand early in the fight, too.
