UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREVIEW: Derek Brunson vs Kevin Holland - Sat, Mar 20 UFC Apex 😝

Source

Some of you might still be drunk from the last two events, but we are already back in business with a very exciting matchup for UFC Vegas 22: Derek Brunson vs Kevin Holland

Without sounding disrespectful to Derek Brunson, we will dive in straight into who Kevin Holland is.

If you've all been sleeping on Kevin Holland or even have no idea who he is, I can't blame you. His rise to fame happened in 2020, 5 fights and five wins, one of the most incredible win streak in UFC history, this guy has a wild right hand, that causes chaos and confusion while talking shit the whole time.

His losses in the UFC prior to his streak were against good opponents like Thiago Santos (currently light Heavyweight contender) or Brendan Allen.

It's interesting to note that Dana White did not want to give him a shot in the UFC, because his brash personality and his constant trash talk was unnerving and already dividing the fans.

But you gotta be honest, his most recent fights were more than impressive. In his last fight against Jacare Souza, he knocked him out from a bottom position, a finish unheard of in the UFC prior to that.
Jacare Souza is no joke but was a 2 losses skid when they faced, so probably not in his prime anymore but still very dangerous on the ground. Kevin attempted 2 triangle submissions from a bottom position, before the knock out hit.

He is also just straight up hilarious with his rants, admitted that he started his fighting career because he wanted to smoke weed for free by robbing drug dealers haha, just so fresh compared to so many fighters taking themselves so seriously. I saw a comment on Youtube yesterday that got me cracking:

"Kevin Holland is everything Kevin Lee thinks he is" (Juan Walker, Youtube comment hero)

It's maybe a little too early, but if Kevin manages to stack up few more wins, he could very well be in a discussion for title contention, leading to a fight with the current champ Israel Adesanya.

They have the same range, Izzy is probably a little bit more precise on his feet, but the lead up to the fight would be so entertaining, I also want to hear him talking shit during the fight 😁

He is facing Derek Brunson (21-7), ranked 7 in the division and has been on a tare, his latest win against the young prospect Edmen Shahbazyan was very convincing, and before that won against Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou by unanimous decision. Derek's only losses are against the cream of the crop:
Israel Adesanya, Jacare Souza, Robert Withaker and Anderson Silva.

Derek is often criticized for excelling against high level fighters, and losing against the MMA elite. Far from being a gate keeper, he could become a threat if he continues to win, he could very well be awarded a more important fight.

Interestingly, the odds are in favour of Holland with -175 to +150! I predict a win for Holland by double backflip, because why not. And before you start googling it, it's not a real move... I still think Holland has it, and I really wanna see him perform well in the UFC, disrupt the force a little 😌

source

On the same card, this is the return of Gregor Gillespie(13-1-0) in the lightweight division, since his loss to Kevin lee in 2019. It's a real pity because Gregor was on a decent win streak, but his knockout was so brutal, I can only agree that a year hiatus in this case is more than needed

If you want to know how good Gregor Gillespie is, check his highlights. you will see physical abilities, coupled with beautiful transitions, great takedowns, and even a good submission game. Prior to his loss to Kevin Lee, he had a perfect record. If Gregor keeps on learning, he could very well become one of the best at lightweight, imagine a fight versus Michael chandler, 2 wrestlers that would probably end up knocking each other out.

He is fighting Brad Riddell, I don't know much about the Kiwi, I did a bit of a research as I was struggling to even remember seeing him fighting, and to my great surprise I remember watching his debut fight in the UFC. Heis incredible on his feet, great kickboxing, check his fight in One Championship:

He had 3 fights in the UFC, that he all won by decision, and seems to be very durable, great chin and cardio, a strong mind also.
They're both a little bit undersized for the lightweight division (Gillespie is 5 ft 7 in and Brad Riddell 5 ft 8 in), but a similar reach (71 in), I reckon nobody wanted to fight Gillespie and Riddell doesn't have much to lose, accepted the fight.

The odds are totally in favor of Gillespie with -260 vs +220 for Riddell. The key to victory for Gregor would be to take the fight to the ground, and for Riddell to stay outside of shooting range and coming in and out using his kickboxing. I still predict a win for Gillespie.

source

I am not even gonna bother talking about the rest of the card, it's already difficult to keep you interested with UFC content in the first place, I will surely lose you talking about Cheyanne Buys or Max Griffin.

Maybe you would be interested in Tai Tuivasa? He drinks beer in his own shoe...Nooo come back please, let's talk about something else, Leonardos Santos, that hasn't lost since 2010? Check his highlight, you won't be disappointed! it's ok, I get it 😁

Here is anyway the other bouts for this Saturday:

Main:

Women Strawweight

Cheyanne Buys (5-1-0) vs. Montserrat Ruiz (9-1-0)

Bantamweight

Adrian Yanez (12-3-0) vs. Gustavo Lopez (12-5-0)

Welterweight

Kenan Song (16-5-0) vs Max Griffin (16-8-0)

Heavyweight

Tai Tuivasa (11-3-0) vs. Harry Hunsucker (7-3-0)

Prelims;

Women Bantamweight

Marion Reneau (9-6-1) vs. Macy Chiasson (7-1-0)
9 - 6 - 1 7 - 1 - 0

Lightweight

Leonardo Santos (18-4-1) vs. Grant Dawson (16-1-0)

Middleweight

Trevin Giles (13-2-0) vs. Roman Dolidze (8-0-0)
13 - 2 - 08 - 0 - 0

Bantamweight

Montel Jackson (9-2-0) vs. Jesse Strader (5-1-0)

Flyweight

Bruno Silva (10-5-2 1NC) vs.JP Buys (9-2-0)

Women Bantamweight

Julia Avila (8-2-0) vs. Julija Stoliarenko (9-5-1)