Derek Brunson vs Kevin Holland
Fight fans around the world, we are back. Another stacked UFC fight night card with some juicy matchups. In the main event, we have the veteran rank 7 Derek Brunson taking on the rising and ever so cool rank 10 Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland.
Brunson has proven time and again why fight fans should not undermine his skill. He possesses exceptional wrestling and some feisty one punch KO power. Brunson has stared down the biggest stars in the UFC in Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. He has lost a few fights on his journey to greatness but only to the best in the game. The last time Brunson was a 3/1 underdog, he cashed in and knocked out undefeated star Edmen Shahbazyan.
Kevin Holland is one of the coolest fighters you will come across, he is infamously known for talking to his opponents before he knocks them out. You do not want to miss an event involving Holland, he is on a path to break records. Holland broke the record for most fights and wins in a year in 2020, the man fought 5 times and won all his bouts with multiple performance bonuses.
This fight is going to be wild, both of them have been taking shots at each other on social media for months now. There is genuine animosity between the two men as they look to settle their differences in the octagon this weekend.
Brunson is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC’s middleweight division and he boxes with his opponent to set his takedowns. On the other hand, Holland is very well-rounded, he is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, but he has also knocked out 3 of his last 5 opponents. Brunson would not look to stand and bang with Holland; he will look to take him down and create threats on the ground. Contrarily, Holland will look to capitalize on his first UFC main event and knock Brunson out. Brunson has won his last 3 fights as an underdog, but Holland is on a hot streak and the man is going to be tough to stop. We think Holland’s fighting style and confidence will be enough to get his hand raised this week. You could also get onto our latest promotion and get Double Winnings if you bet on Holland and he wins.
Prediction– Kevin Holland by Knockout
Odds– 2.60 (industry odds, subject to change on site when odds become available)
Gregor Gillespie vs Brad Riddell
In the co-main event, we have 15th ranked submission specialist Gregor “The Gift” Gillespie taking on City Kickboxing’s very own Brad “Quack” Riddell.
Gregor is a mystery to the new UFC fans as he is a ranked fighter in one of the most stacked division in the UFC, yet he hasn’t fought in over 2 years. Gregor has won 5 of his last 6 fights by finish, he is a gifted mixed martial artist. His only career loss was handed to him by a former title challenger in Kevin Lee. Gregor is dangerous wherever this fight goes, he is a good boxer, and he possesses a mean arm-triangle choke in his submission arsenal.
Brad Riddell is one of the best talents to come out of City kickboxing which is known to produce UFC champions namely Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski. Brad has very fast hands and he can take the lights out of his opponent within seconds. Brad is primarily a kickboxer, who is undefeated in the UFC till now. He is fighting his first ranked opponent and a win over Gregor gets Brad a number next to his name along with the respect of top lightweights.
I don’t remember the last time these two were involved in a fight which was not entertaining. You can call it a classic striker vs wrestler matchup, but it is much more than that. Both of them are known finishers and you can expect a wild finish in this matchup.
Gregor was on the rise until he got knocked out by Kevin Lee and he hasn’t fought in the UFC since then. On the other hand, Brad is on the rise now and has had a 3-fight win streak in the UFC over potential contenders. The odds lean towards the more well-rounded fighter in Gregor, but we predict this to be more of an even-money fight because Brad has been more active in the octagon and has a great team backing him. Gregor’s 2-year layoff and Brad’s rise in the two years makes this a great matchup and both of them will look to make a statement. We think this fight could go either way but there is one place this fight is not going, the judge’s scorecard.
Prediction – Fight to not go the distance
Odds – 1.55 (industry odds, subject to change on site when odds become available).
