On Saturday, Derek Brunson looks to end Kevin Holland’s climb up the middleweight rankings when the two meet in the main event of the UFC Vegas 22 fight card from UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Holland had a spectacular year in 2020. Holland fought five times for the UFC between 2018 and 2019. He put together a 3-2 record during that time. Holland’s first fight of 2020 came in May. He scored a first-round TKO in that bout, stopping Anthony Hernandez in 39 seconds. By the end of the year, Holland had put together a 5-0 run with four knockout wins. His most recent victory came in December when he knocked out Ronald “Jacare” Souza at the 1:45 mark of the first stanza. Holland won “Performance of the Night” bonuses three times in those five fights.
Brunson, who has been with the UFC longer than Holland has been a professional fighter, is on a three fight winning streak. His most recent victory was a third-round TKO win over the heavily hyped Edmen Shahbazyan.
The only fighters to defeat Brunson under the UFC banner are Israel Adesanya, Souza, Anderson Silva, Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero.
UFC Vegas 22 takes place Saturday from UFC Apex in Las Vegas. ESPN and ESPN+ carry the main card. The prelims are on ESPN 2 and ESPN+.
Below, look at how Brunson and Holland match up in key stats ahead of UFC Vegas 22.
UFC Vegas 22: Brunson vs. Holland
| Stat | Brunson | Holland |
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Brunson | Holland |
| Sig. Strikes Landed Per Min. | 3.77 | 4.74 |
| Striking Accuracy | 47% | 57% |
| Strikes Absorbed Per Minute | 2.95 | 2.77 |
| Striking Defense | 54% | 56% |
| Takedown Avg./15 min | 3.02 | 1.19 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 31% | 42% |
| Takedown Defense | 100% | 52% |
| Submission Average Per 15 min | 0.4 | 0.8 |