UFC Vegas 22 (Main event): Derek Brunson defeats Kevin Holland by unanimous decision

UFC Vegas 22 (Main event): Derek Brunson defeats Kevin Holland by unanimous decision

The UFC Vegas 22 main event just went down. The middleweight bout between Derek Brunson and Kevin Holland took off as both the fighters looked to get wins and progress in the division. Derek is ranked #7 in the division with a record of 21-7-0 and Kevin came into the fight with a record of 21-5-0 with a three-match consecutive winning streak.

Round 1: The first round of the main event starts off with Holland being the aggressor and landing with a high left hand as he moves to press Brunson. Brunson responds with a kick to the body that has Holland loose but manages to kick him back. Brunson drives forward and goes for the takedown. Finds success. Brunson on top but Holland is more active from underneath. Holland is unbelievable with his talking as he goes non-stop with the chat till the bell rings.

Round 2: Holland back into the second round after chatting with the retired lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Derek again with the drive forward and looks for a takedown right away. Holland spins and hits Brunson with some big shots and it is positive that Brunson is hurt. But Brunson is back up and looks to take the fight to the mat. Brunson is back again on top but the round ends with not much action at the ground. Holland remains defending in this round too.

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Round 3: Third round started off with a low kick from Brunson amd Holland responds with a right hand at the top. Holland doesn’t seem to learn from his past match and walks right into the clinches of Derek Brunson. Holland is back up again. Kevin is on his back again taking shots from Brunson and is barely getting any strikes. Holland manages to slap Brunson but Derek with full control. Another round ends with Brunson on top.

Khabib’s advice didn’t seem to workout for Holland

Round 4: Holland doesn’t seem to mind defending and enters the 4th round with a smile. Holland is loose and wants to stay on the feet. Kevin with a clean combination. Brunson is stunned a little bit. Two uppercuts thrown Holland’s way by Brunson. Kevin is trying to scrap to his feet but Derek is not giving him any space. Brunson with punches to the head and the body. With less than a minute to go, both the fighters trade shots at the end.

Round 5: Brunson very focused and determined to secure the win while Holland still goofs around. Holland with attempts of face kicks and big left hands. Both the attempts go down as unsuccessful for Kevin Holland. A flurry of punches traded between both the fighters. Holland finally tripped Derek Brunson as he promised before the fight and yells, “Let’s go!” as he finds success in the takedown. Kevin with left and right punches thrown while Brunson looking to get back up. Both the fighters let the last 10 seconds go wasted as neither of them look for strikes.

Result:  Derek Brunson def. Kevin Holland via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-46, 49-46)

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