Kevin Holland loves fighting often but maybe a slower schedule and staying at welterweight is better for his long term success.
In his return to 170 pounds at UFC London, Holland shut down nearly every offensive maneuver from Gunnar Nelson and even delivered a vicious knockdown in the opening round that nearly got him a finish. While Nelson survived and attempted a late comeback with a submission attempt, Holland was just too slick and continued punishing him until the fight was over.
In the end, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Holland, who gets back on track after back-to-back losses at middleweight.
“I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go. Gunnar is tough as f*ck,” Holland said after the win. “Everybody says I can’t grapple. I can grapple pretty good as long as the guy isn’t 30 or 40 pounds bigger than me.
“Welterweight’s good for me as far as being a better athlete. If it’s at [170 pounds, I can fight] sometime around July would be nice. If it’s at [185], next week works.”
With Holland looking to keep the distance with his strikes, Nelson eventually found his way inside to get a takedown. While Holland continuously threw up submission from his back including an omo plata attempt, Nelson was methodical with his defense before slipping free to apply his world class grappling game.
Holland was effective off his back before finally scrambling to break free and that’s when he delivered a straight punch that dropped Nelson hard to the floor. Holland started dropping bombs from the top looking for a finish and it appeared he hammered home with a punch that came just as the horn sounded.
Following a one-minute break between rounds, Nelson was desperate to get the fight back to the ground with Holland doing his best to stay on his feet. Nelson eventually dragged him to the canvas but he wasn’t able to mount much offense with Holland actually throwing more strikes off his back.
Back on the feet, Nelson was once again desperate to get the takedown with Holland firing knees up the middle. Once again, Nelson managed to put Holland on his back but this time he advanced to snatch an arm-triangle choke.
Unfortunately for Nelson, Holland was able to resist and eventually slip free to return to his feet where he really started punishing the noted grappler. Nelson was basically holding on for dear life so he couldn’t give Holland any space to work, which allowed him to make it to the end of the fight but the result was clear.
While Holland has faced some ups and downs at welterweight, he’s still looked like a much more dangerous competitor in that division but it remains to be seen if he stays there or prefers a busier schedule and returns to middleweight again.
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