Brunson vs Holland Preview
Kevin Holand feels that this might be his year, as he currently rides on a fantastic streak and looks terrifying. He tied the UFC record with five wins in a year, and is after one more, which would undoubtedly earn him a chance to challenge Israel Adesanya in the title match. On the other side, Derek Brunson tries to revive his career and earn one more shot at the title. He is 37 years old and close to the end of the road in UFC, which means that a win on Saturday is a must for this guy.
Brunson vs Holland Schedule
- Where: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
- When: Saturday, March 20, 10pm ET
- How to Watch: ESPN
Brunson vs Holland Odds
| Brunson | Holland |
|---|---|
| +145 | -170 |
Brunson’s Last Try
As said, there isn’t too much time for the veteran who has three wins in a row right now. The first victim was Elias Theodorou, then Ian Heinisch, and in the end, Edmen Shahbazyan.
Even though this guy has 21 wins (and seven losses), we need to point out that he didn’t defeat too many notable names in the division. Brunson’s biggest victories came against Lyoto Machida, Uriah Hall, and Dan Kelly.
On the other side, he was a regular customer for the high-profile names. Ronaldo Souza defeated him twice so far, once in 2012, and the last time in 2018. Israel Adesanya also didn’t have too many problems with Brunson in 2018. Both these losses came in the first round via TKO. Anderson Silva, Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, all these guys beat Brunson routinely.
He is a guy who has hard knocks, and is a very good wrestler, but other than that, his skills are pretty mediocre, as well as physical abilities.
Holland’s Spectacular Year
Since losing to Brendan Allen in October 2019, the Trail Blazer won five straight matches, all of them in seven months. His rampage began in May 2020, once he beat Anthony Hernandez. After that came wins against Joaquin Buckley, Darren Stewart, Charlie Ontiveros, and Ronaldo Souza.
The win against the latter was equally impressive as his victorious stretch, knocking out one of the biggest names in the UFC from the ground, while he was in a defensive position. For those who didn’t saw this beauty, here is the opportunity to do so.
Holland is a young fighter, having just 28 years, and has a long way to go until reaching his prime. He already made certain improvements when it comes to wrestling and tactics, and it seems that there is more room for him to be even better in these areas.
Holland was a former XKO middleweight champ, and was also a welterweight champion in the same organization. He wouldn’t start the UFC adventure very well, losing to Thiago Santos, but quickly after that made his presence felt.
Brunson vs Holland Prediction and Pick
With Holland on fire, it’s no wonder why bookies see him as the massive favorite in this matchup. Overall, he is a more versatile fighter than Brunson, who has one or two weapons in his arsenal that might beat his opponent. Holland is faster, more endurable, and is much better when it comes to tactics, where Brunson practically has no knowledge at all, which is why he lost easily against top names from the division.
Pick: Holland
