Watch: Hilarious Kevin Holland invites Khabib Nurmagomedov to corner him after first round against Derek Brunson
After getting smothered by Derek Brunson on the ground in the first round, Kevin Holland sought some wrestling advice from Dagestani Sambo practitioner Khabib Nurmagomedov who was octagon side at UFC Vegas 22.
Derek Brunson had a straight-forward gameplan coming into tonight's headliner event against Kevin Holland - use his wrestling acumen to out-grapple the No. 10 ranked middleweight.
Following the domination he suffered in the first round, Holland went back to his corner and spotted Khabib Nurmagomedov sitting alongside Dana White close by. Kevin Holland sought some wrestling advice from Nurmagomedov who is well-known for 'smashing' his opponents on the ground.
"The way to victory is the smash brother. And he [Derek Brunson] is over here smashing brother. Not cool, brother. Hey, give me some wrestling advice. Hey Khabib! Come on.
To this, the retired champion suggested that Holland stay relaxed. Holland, who asked former double champion Daniel Cormier for grappling advice in one of his previous bouts, immediately replied by saying:
"I can do that, I mean, I'm pretty relaxed. i mean, the thing is, I don't have a fourth cornerman... come over here and help me. Phenomenal! All of a sudden I don't get taken down. Everybody knows that Khabib is not only the greatest wrestler in the world but the greatest wrestling coaches in the world. I usually ask DC for the advice, but now I'm trying to ask you."
Here is the footage from tonight's main event where Holland seeks advice from Khabib Nurmagomedov:
Kevin Holland loses his winning streak at UFC Vegas 22
Kevin Holland emerged as one of the brightest prospects in the middleweight division in 2020. Amassing a 5-0 winning streak, 'Trailblazer' Holland featured in the first main event of his UFC career tonight.
Despite putting on a show for the fans, Kevin Holland fell short in his attempt to advance his winning streak at UFC vegas 22 as Derek Brunson (former NCAA Division 2 wrestler) out-wrestled him and churned out a unanimous decision victory. With this win, Brunson extended his winning streak to 4-0.