The trailblazing Kevin Holland is coming back and will face off against former CFFC middleweight champion Kyle Daukaus on October 2 according to a report from MMA Fighting.
The Trailblazer has hit a bit of a damp patch at middleweight recently, with dominant, mostly wrestling-based decision losses to both Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori. Holland has been widely criticised for his poor wrestling and ground game since these two appearances, but he has sought out the very best wrestling sanctuary that he can – the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) under the tutelage of Javier Mendez. Its incredibly prestigious alumni include such legends as Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold and the dominant Khabib Nurmagomedov – in short, there is nowhere better to learn and fix his game.
In the opposing corner, Daukaus happens to be the junior brother of Chris Daukaus, a very good heavyweight prospect in the UFC. Whilst his professional record stands at 10-2, he is just 1-2 in the UFC, with his most recent appearance being a decision loss to Phil Hawes. Daukaus will be hoping to pick up a major name and scalp in Holland, who is still one of the biggest names at 185 pounds.
This fight will be extremely interesting because Daukaus’ game is very largely based on his ground/submission game, the main area that has massively been exposed as Holland’s gaping weakness. This fight will be an intriguing test for Holland, as it will indicate how far Holland’s ground game has developed since he went to AKA for help – only time will ultimately reveal this.
Who do you think will win on October 2? Kevin Holland or Kyle Daukaus?