'I understood what he was saying' - Kevin Holland explains how Khabib Nurmagomedov's advice helped him against Derek Brunson
Kevin Holland has explained how Khabib Nurmagomedov's cageside advice at UFC Vegas 22 helped him during his fight. After suffering a lopsided loss to Derek Brunson, Holland failed to build on the momentum he generated in 2020 and will have to go back to the drawing board.
During his recent interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Kevin Holland explained how he took advice from Khabib in between the rounds and took down Brunson for the first time in the UFC.
"DC is not here, Khabib's here, I'm taking wrestling advice and I got some. And, I took Brunson down."
Holland further detailed how he managed to take Brunson down in the fifth round of their fight. Big Mouth claimed he did get hit three or four times while trying to center his hips but eventually found the timing and took down Brunson.
"I got hit three or four times trying to center the hips and then as soon as I started finding the timing of where his hips were, I got the takedown. I understood what he was saying."
After registering wins over Darren Stewart, Joaquin Buckley, and Jacare Souza in 2020, Holland was on course to potentially challenge for the UFC middleweight title in the near future. However, his loss in the main event of UFC Vegas 22 has seemingly put paid to any title shot for a while.
What's next for Kevin Holland after his loss at UFC Vegas 22?
After losing to Derek Brunson this past weekend, Kevin Holland has admitted that he is willing to go down to 170 and compete in the welterweight division. Holland also revealed that he wants to start working with a nutritionist to try and make the cut to 170-pounds.
Would a move down to welterweight work out well for Kevin Holland? Sound off in the comments section below.