Ben Askren appears interested in helping Kevin Holland with his biggest weakness after UFC Vegas 23 defeat
Kevin Holland suffered his second consecutive loss in the UFC against Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC Vegas 23. 'The Italian Dream' dominated Holland on the ground as he secured a convincing victory over his opponent. All the judges scored the contest in Vettori's favor (50-44, 50-44, 50-44).
Witnessing Holland get taken down incessantly, former UFC star Ben Askren hinted at helping the 28-year-old with his biggest weakness - his takedown defense.
"Big Mouth needs some takedown defense," Askren wrote on Twitter.
Vettori, who was originally scheduled to fight Darren Till at the event, has now registered five consecutive wins. The 27-year-old has won all his fights since losing to Israel Adesanya in 2018.
UFC Vegas 23 was expected to be headlined by Vettori and Till,. However, the latter was forced to withdraw from the fight after he injured his collar bone. Vettori claimed he was suspicious of Till's injury at first, but believed him after the Liverpool-based fighter sent him X-Ray reports of his broken collar bone.
Kevin Holland was taken down 11 times by Marvin Vettori
Marvin Vettori took Kevin Holland down on a total of 11 occasions, which is now a divisional record. The Italian Dream looked confident right out of the gate in the first round, and was able to dictate the fight in the later frames.
Vettori and Holland both appeared confident about emerging victorious at UFC Vegas 23, but it was the former who undoubtedly looked the better fighter. He had stated he would get the better of Holland and potentially earn a rematch opposite Adesanya.
At the post-fight press conference, Vettori made his intentions clear. He said he is gunning for a title shot, on the back of a five-fight win streak. Vettori is currently ranked No.6 in the middleweight division, who may displace Darren Till from fifth spot after the lopsided win over Kevin Holland.