Kevin Holland’s mouth never stopped running. Derek Brunson could not shut him down. So Bronson shut him down instead, using his wrestling to win by unanimous decision and bringing his winning rhythm to four at UFC Fight Night on Saturday night at UFC Apex Night in Las Vegas.
Holland came into the fight as a rising star in the middleweight division but Brunson made a career out of being a litmus test for those who want to take the next step in it. The match was not very good, but Brunson neutralized Holland’s striking with a takedown and scuffle to secure the victory.
Brunson entered a three-fight winning streak since being stopped by Israel Adesania in 2018. In his final outing, he dominated Edmain Shahbazan and came back. For his reward, he was given a fight with Holland, who was riding a five-fight winning streak and was in favor of moving up the ladder.
Holland attempted to sneak into Brunson’s head by talking trash during the entire fight, but he encountered a nonwhite opponent, unable to verbally exchange jabs. As a matter of fact, the business punch was not part of Brunson’s plan. Instead, he looked for opportunities to take Holland down, and he did so in just five rounds.
Things echoed for Brunson in the second round. He appeared in a lot of trouble after being dropped by Holland with a huge right hand. Brunson received his bearings and then a takedown, allowing him to get his intelligence together. From there, he swiftly transitioned to an arm triangle that set the tone for the time to come.
Holland refused to stop speaking trash but he repeatedly found himself on his back for the next three rounds as Brunson controlled the fight. Holland had success in the goals, but were not nearly busy sacking the judges, who saw it in Brunson’s favor with scores of 49–45, 49–46 and 49–46.
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