Kevin Holland had all the confidence in the world heading into his middleweight matchup against Derek Brunson. That self-assurance slowly faded throughout the five-round fight. By the time the referee raised Brunson’s hand in victory, it seemed as if Holland was the only one convinced the fight was not a disaster for him.
Brunson’s win over Holland gives him two straight wins over opponents the UFC had seemingly selected for greatness. Holland was on a five-fight winning streak heading into this bout and had climbed to No. 10 in the 185-pound rankings. In August, Brunson ended the 11-fight winning streak of Edmen Shahbazyan.