Kevin Holland is planning to make a big statement in his first UFC main event which comes against Derek Brunson on March 20.
Holland enjoyed an impressive 2020 during which he competed and won five times. ‘Trailblazer’ capped off his stellar year by scoring an epic KO against former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza at UFC 256. Brunson re-established himself among the middleweight elite when he stopped rising star Edmen Shahbazyan in his only fight of 2020.
In 2021 Holland will get the chance to headline for the first time, something he’s happy about although he’d prefer to facing someone else on March 20.
“I just hate that Brunson is my first main event,” Holland told MMA Junkie. “I mean, the storyline is good. It’s cool. Everything is amazing there. I’m having fun with him online. He’s kind of making me enjoy that it is him. But at the same time, Brunson? He’s kind of the gatekeeper. He’s another year older. It was just his birthday. This, that, etc., etc., etc.
“It’s like, beat Brunson, there are going to be 1,000 excuses why you beat Brunson, too,” Holland added. “A main event against somebody with no excuses? That would’ve been amazing. The main event, beating Brunson, and there’s going to be a thousand excuses once I beat, him? Ooh. Cool.”
Holland has already planned an unusual way to finish Brunson and score the “knockout for the century”.
“If I can time his favorite combo right, it might not be five rounds,” Holland said. “I’m definitely preparing for five, so we’ll see how it goes. I have plenty of time to prepare, so I should be more than great. I’ve got a sequence. If I slip his jab, roll his overhand, and then hit him with a good hip thrust while he goes for a takedown, I’ll knock him out with my cojones. That right there would be a knockout for the century.”
Do you think Kevin Holland will beat Derek Brunson on March 20?