"Pretty pissed" Dana White reacts to Kevin Holland's weak performance against Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22
Dana White is not happy with Kevin Holland after his UFC Vegas 22 performance against Derek Brunson. The UFC president is not one to chew his words, and according to reporter Kevin Iole at the post-event press conference, he appeared "pretty pissed" at Kevin Holland after the main event was over.
Kevin Holland, who is currently ranked no. 10, got an opportunity to lay his hands on no. 7 ranked Derek Brunson and pave his way a little further towards the middleweight title shot. But Kevin Holland went on to blow the opportunity, and one can blame his casual and flippant demeanor for that.
Whether Kevin Holland did not really care about the fight or was way over in his head with overconfidence, only he can say. But the show he put did not impress a lot of people, including Dana White.
The reporter who brought up the UFC president's reaction to the fight also said that Dana White thought Kevin Holland had a "mental breakdown" and compared it to Oliver McCall against Lennox Lewis back in 1997. In what was their second fight in two-and-a-half years, Oliver McCall refused to engaged with Lennox Lewis for the entire duration of the fight and only walked around the ring, and was later seen crying at his corner.
Kevin Holland pulled a somewhat similar stunt in the main event of the card, talking to Derek Brunson throughout the fight.
In between the rounds, he addressed Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was present cageside, and asked him for wrestling tips.
Here's a video of the UFC Vegas 22 post-event press conference:
Deren Brunson on Kevin Holland: He just couldn't stop the takedowns
Despite what Dana White thinks, Derek Brunson is not ready to make room for any excuses that Kevin Holland might have for his bizarre behavior inside the octagon. When asked if he felt like Kevin Holland truly had a "mental breakdown" during their fight, Derek Brunson disagreed. He also added that whatever Dana White might be thinking of Kevin Holland at the moment is nothing but temporary.
"No, he just couldn't stop the takedowns... Dana White is one of those guys you know. He'd be upset with you but you come out the next fight and knock a guy out and he'd be happy again. It's all good."
Derek Brunson won the fight via unanimous decision, with scores 49-45, 49-46, and 49-46 from the three judges.