Saturday night marked the chance for a rising star to firmly establish himself in the top of the UFC middleweight rankings.
No. 10 ranked Kevin Holland brought his five-fight win streak into the Octagon with him, taking on No. 7 ranked Derek Brunson in the main event of UFC Vegas 22.
“Trailblazer’s” also had the opportunity to capitalize on his growing popularity with a big win over a tough veteran, however things didn’t go Holland’s way. Brunson controlled most of the fight on the ground, taking the match via unanimous decision.
Huge flurry from @Trailblaze2top, but @DerekBrunson survived and turned the tables 👀 #UFCVegas22
A notable point is Holland’s excessive talking during the fight, including while he was in his corner in between rounds. Holland is known for talking during contests, however it appeared to some fight fans that he was more focused on entertaining than the fight itself. There were points in the fight where Holland seemingly had the chance to turn the tide by escaping a position or capitalizing on a moment, however he never pulled the trigger.
“No matter what, that’s a freaking win.”
Likely down in the fight, @Trailblaze2top secured a takedown and celebrated the small victory 😁 #UFCVegas22
Speaking with Yahoo Sports after the event, UFC president Dana White gave his assessment on Holland’s performance, saying he hadn’t seen “anything like that.”
“I think that was a mental breakdown,” White said via the outlet. “The only other thing I saw like it was [in boxing] when Lennox Lewis fought that guy [Oliver McCall] who kept his hands at his side and was crying. I don’t know what he was doing. I think he might not have been able to handle the pressure and just broke mentally. I haven’t seen anything like that.”
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Holland Isn’t Going to Change His Antics Inside the Cage
Trailblazer will remain himself, no matter the criticism he receives. In a post-fight video he shared on Instagram, Holland said he is “never going to stop talking” and is focused on having a “good time.”
He wrote:
Im gonna be me tell I die never said I wanted to be the champ I said I wanted to have a good time and that I did on to the next…. thank you @mickmaynard2 @ufc @danawhite for the opportunity back to the drawing board and see you soon @khabib_nurmagomedov one little piece of advice and I take down a guy who’s never been took down in octagon true wrestling genius you are.
Holland Plans to ‘Get Back to Work’ Soon to Improve His Game
But, Holland also understands that he needs to take lessons from his loss to Brunson.
“Yes I will talk yes I will have fun but winning is a s*** load of fun as well I definitely hate letting you guys down so fighting smarter improving position and avoiding being taken down I’ll get back to work within the week,” Holland wrote via Instagram.
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UFC President Dana White: ‘Havent Seen Anything Like That’