Author: Dan Hiergesell

There’s a reason why Kevin Holland’s nickname is “Big Mouth.” The surging middleweight contender simply doesn’t stop talking.

While that method usually backfires for young UFC fighters on the rise Holland has defied the odds and continues to win inside of the Octagon. The 28-year-old contender turned in a memorable 5-0 record in 2020 and is lined up to headline his first UFC event later tonight (Sat., Mar. 20, 2021) at UFC Vegas 22 live on ESPN against perennial contender Derek Brunson.

In advance to Holland’s first main event bid UFC has compiled all the best trash talk from “Big Mouth” over the past few years. Whether he’s trying to make a name for himself on Dana White’s “Contender Series,” getting dominated by Thiago Santos in a short-notice UFC debut, or finishing Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza off his back, Holland makes every second count.

Check out the video compilation above courtesy of UFC/ESPN and try not to crack a smile.

The fact that Holland is winning while talking to his opponents makes his “Big Mouth” approach even more impressive. Brunson is a veteran fighter typically unfazed by trash talk, but Holland has ramped his efforts up over the past few weeks. He even made Brunson look uncomfortable during their staredown at weigh ins on Friday (see it HERE).

We will find out later tonight if Holland can keep up his winning ways, snap Brunson’s three-fight win streak, and bring his “Big Mouth” game to the top of the division.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 22 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 22 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete “Brunson vs. Holland” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

Justin Gaethje is the odd man out in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division. The perennial contender was expecting a matchup with Michael Chandler before the promotion decided to go a different direction.

Earlier this week UFC booked a lightweight title fight between Chandler and Charles Oliveira for UFC 262 on May 15th in Houston following the official retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Oliveira, who has won his last eight trips to the Octagon, was an obvious choice to fight for the vacant belt. Chandler, on the other hand, only has one UFC win under his belt.

Regardless, UFC decided to book Oliveira vs. Chandler for the vacant strap later this spring. Not only is it a fight that will redefine the best division in MMA but it’s also a decision that leaves Gaethje on the outside looking in.

On Friday night, Gaethje took to social media to reveal he was training for a fight with Chandler on May 15th. “Highlight” was expecting to sign a bout agreement in the coming days before learning UFC had granted Oliveira the matchup instead.

“I woke up yesterday to train for a matchup with Chandler on May 15th expecting a bout agreement any moment. Today that is not the case, I don’t know what I do yet but I like this feeling. It was a good day at sparring practice.”

Surprisingly, Gaethje seems to be in pretty good spirits despite losing out on a bout with Chandler. It should be noted that the potential Gaethje vs. Chandler matchup was never officially linked to the lightweight title. Once Khabib announced he was stepping away from MMA for good that’s when UFC reversed course and brought Oliveira into the mix.

At this point, we really don’t know who Gaethje is going to fight next. Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor seem to be holding out for a trilogy bout. Tony Ferguson, who Gaethje defeated last year, is scheduled to fight red-hot contender Beneil Dariush at UFC 262. That leaves Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev as the only suitable options for Gaethje, but those guys keep pushing for their own matchup.

Of course, UFC could always throw Gaethje a bone and get a deal done for a fight with Nate Diaz. The two have already been linked in the past and it seems like the most exciting matchup to make, but we all know how difficult it is to get Diaz to sign the dotted line.

What do you think, fight fans? Who does Gaethje fight next?

Sound off!

It all goes down later tonight (Sat., Mar. 20, 2021) at UFC Vegas 22 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., as middleweight knockout artist Derek Brunson takes on streaking contender Kevin Holland in the main event.

In addition to the middleweight headliner, welterweight veteran Max Griffin will meet Song Kenan in a makeshift co-main event, rising bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez will look to take out Gustavo Lopez in his sophomore appearance, and lightweight stud Grant Dawson locks horns with a streaking Leonardo Santos in a potential “Fight of the Night” matchup.

Take a look below at UFC Vegas 22’s complete fight card line up and start times:

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland
Gregor Gillespie vs. Brad Riddell CANCELED
Song Kenan vs. Max Griffin
Cheyanne Buys vs. Montserrat Ruiz
Adrian Yanez vs. Gustavo Lopez
Tai Tuivasa vs. Harry Hunsucker

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN2/ESPN+)
7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

Marion Reneau vs. Macy Chiasson
Leonardo Santos vs. Grant Dawson
Trevin Giles vs. Roman Dolidze
Montel Jackson vs. Jesse Strader
JP Buys vs. Bruno Silva

Here are all the ways to catch the action:

Online

• UFC Vegas 22: ‘Brunson vs. Holland’ entire fight card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
• Subscriptions cost $5.99 per month.

Television

• UFC Vegas 22: ‘Brunson vs. Holland’ main card can be viewed via ESPN. Check your local providers or click for instant access to ESPN.
• UFC Vegas 22: ‘Brunson vs. Holland’ undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN2.
• UFC Vegas 22: ‘Brunson vs. Holland’ entire fight card can also be streamed via Xbox One, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and ChromeCast.

Tablet/Mobile

• UFC Vegas 22: ‘Brunson vs. Holland’ entire fight card can be viewed via ESPN+ streaming app through Google Play and iTunes stores.

Bars

• Check out a list of sports bars and pubs near you that will most likely be showing tonight’s fights CLICK HERE.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 22 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 22 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete “Brunson vs. Holland” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

UFC Vegas 22 will be without its co-main event later tonight (Sat., Mar. 20, 2021) live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., as a matchup between lightweights Gregor Gillespie and Brad Riddell has been removed from the card due to COVID-19 protocol.

Per an official UFC press release, the lightweight matchup will be postponed to a later date. No other details have been shared at this time.

This is devastating news for Gillespie as he was returning from a 16-month absence. The promising lightweight contender is coming off a brutal knockout loss to Kevin Lee back in 2019 and was hoping to get back in contention with a win over Riddell. “The Gift” will have to wait a little longer before avenging the first loss of his professional career.

Riddell, on the other hand, will miss out on a prime opportunity to fight someone ranked in the lightweight top 15. The New Zealand native has turned in a 3-0 record since making his UFC debut back in 2019 and packs some serious promise in the stacked 155-pound division. This was supposed to be his introduction into the upper echelon of lightweight fighters.

With Gillespie vs. Riddell removed from the card UFC Vegas 22’s updated lineup is as follows:

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland
Song Kenan vs. Max Griffin
Cheyanne Buys vs. Montserrat Ruiz
Adrian Yanez vs. Gustavo Lopez
Tai Tuivasa vs. Harry Hunsucker

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN2/ESPN+)
7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

Marion Reneau vs. Macy Chiasson
Leonardo Santos vs. Grant Dawson
Trevin Giles vs. Roman Dolidze
Montel Jackson vs. Jesse Strader
JP Buys vs. Bruno Silva

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 22 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 22 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete “Brunson vs. Holland” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

With recent developments in the UFC’s lightweight division a trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor has been pushed back to July at the very earliest.

After Khabib Nurmagomedov officially announced his retirement earlier this week UFC quickly turned around and booked a vacant lightweight title fight between top contenders Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler for UFC 262 on May 15. Many believed that event and date was being reserved for Poirier vs. McGregor 3, but now the awaited trilogy bout will have to wait even longer.

According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the focus for Poirier vs. McGregor 3 has shifted from May to July in light of the recent lightweight bookings. That would put the trilogy in line with UFC’s International Fight Week later this year.

There was once a hope McGregor-Poirier 3 fight would get done for May 15 but it’s taken longer than hoped/expected so they moved on from that a while ago, sources say. Won’t happen on June 12 (Figueiredo-Moreno on that card), so latest hope is the July 10 card. We’ll see.

The promotion can turn its attention to a new date and event but doesn’t mean anything is guaranteed to get booked. While Poirier and McGregor have both vocalized their wish for a third fight a deal is far from being struck. Poirier is using his leverage after knocking McGregor out at UFC 257 earlier this year (highlights HERE) and waiting for the “right deal” to come along. McGregor, who took a major step back in the lightweight division with his loss to “Diamond,” is never easy to lock down. Both fighters are currently negotiating with UFC officials but that doesn’t always end well.

All of that said, it would be surprising if a trilogy bout was never booked. Poirier’s rematch with McGregor at UFC 257 produced 1.6 million PPV buys and will go down as one of the biggest events for the promotion in 2021. UFC would be doing itself a disservice if it didn’t do everything in its power to schedule another lucrative fight between “Diamond” and “Notorious.” And considering the only other lightweight contender without a current fight is Justin Gaethje, Poirier and McGregor almost have to face each other.

It’s a work in progress and something we’ll keep a close eye on moving forward.

Kamaru Usman is riding high in the UFC’s dangerous welterweight division. The reigning 170-pound champ is coming off his third-straight title defense and ready to continue picking off each and every top contender.

The next name on Usman’s hit list is none other than Jorge Masvidal. The two welterweights met back at UFC 251 in July 2020 on “Fight Island.” Usman defeated “Gamebred” via unanimous decision, but Masvidal only had six days to prepare for the fight. Masvidal’s lack of time to train and determine a proper game plan for the champ is the main reason why both fighters want to run it back.

Luckily, Usman and Masvidal will get there wish when the two welterweights collide again for the undisputed title at UFC 261 next month in Florida (details HERE).

“You said you wanted more than six days. Well, guess what? Now I’ve given you six weeks,” Usman told TMZ. “You asked for three, but I doubled it and gave you six, so April 24, this time there’ll be no excuse. That’s it; let’s go in. You know what I’m looking to do, put the nail in the coffin, so bring your best game.”

Usman, who just defeated former teammate Gilbert Burns via third-round TKO at UFC 258, has done everything that the promotion has asked of him over the past few years. He is quickly becoming one of the best welterweight fighters of all time and one of the most dominant champions in all of MMA today. Usman’s success and dominance has allowed him to drive the bus in 2021 and call out the fights he wants, which all starts with Masvidal.

“Let’s be honest: If I had to pick, I can do whatever I want to do,” Usman said. “I’ve cleared the division up. Now it’s time to lap everybody. It’s like we’re running a race. Now I’m about to lap everyone, so I went in and told (UFC president Dana White), ‘Hey, give me him (Masvidal).’ He’s a tough guy. I know he’s a tough guy. Yeah, it’s risky, it’s dangerous, but guess what? I want to put the nail in that coffin once and for all. And that’s how that fight got made.”

Usman had a few other contenders to pick from, including rival Colby Covington, Leon Edwards, and even Stephen Thompson, but the champion wanted his chance to shut “Gamebred” down again. Masvidal has remained adamant that a longer camp and more time to prepare for Usman will produce different results. Usman is here to prove that’s not the case and that Masvidal is biting off more than he can chew (again).

“It’s two things,” Usman said. “One, he either truly believes it, which I have to take very, very seriously, or he’s just too stupid to understand what’s happening right now. So I’ve got to believe it’s the first one, and I’ve got to take him at his word. He’s a very, very dangerous opponent. I never took that away from him. He did great things in 2019, but that was 2019. Now it’s time to come back to reality. It’s 2021, (and) his ship has sailed.

“I said it before: You’re a journeyman. Not in a disrespectful way because there’s nothing wrong with being a journeyman, but you’re a journeyman and that’s good, because that means you’re gonna win some, you’re gonna lose some. That’s OK. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but don’t try to pose as if you’re something more than that, as if you could dethrone the champion. Don’t try and do that.”

For more UFC 261 fight card news click here.