UFC Vegas 22: Three big reasons to watch UFC Fight Night this weekend
UFC Vegas 22 will take place three days from now on March 20, 2021. Headlined by the middleweight clash between No. 7 ranked Derek Brunson and No. 10 ranked Kevin Holland, the event will take place at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Admittedly, the shadow of the upcoming UFC 260 and leftovers from UFC 259 mega cards loom over the event. However, there is always something to watch out for at UFC events and here are three reasons to watch the UFC Vegas 22 card this weekend.
The main event is a classic veteran vs prospect clash
37-year-old Derek Brunson was largely considered the gatekeeper of the middleweight division through most of his UFC career. But the veteran has turned the tide in his favor in recent times and stopped up-and-coming fighters like Edmen Shahbazyan and Elias Theodorou who were looking to break into the top tier of the division.
Brunson's opponent, Kevin Holland, is a young prospect riding a five-fight winning streak. Trailblazer has generated a lot of hype around his name with a knockout win over Jacare Souza at UFC 256. The outcome of the main event will determine the relevance of Derek Brunson in the future of the middleweight division and help fight fans assess the legitimacy of the hype around Kevin Holland's name.
UFC Vegas 22 marks the return of Gregor Gillespie
Lightweight prospect Gregor Gillespie will return to competition at UFC Vegas 22 in the co-main event against Brad Riddell. Gillespie's stock was significantly reduced following his devastating knockout loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244. However, the wrestling powerhouse was one of UFC's most promising lightweight prospects before the loss, riding a six-fight winning streak with five straight finishes under the UFC umbrella.
Many MMA experts even believed at the time that the Long Island native could be the biggest threat to Khabib Nurmagomedov's unbeaten record due to his formidable wrestling background and explosive knockout power. The loss against Kevin Lee brought this conversation to a screeching halt, though. It is safe to assume that Gillespie will enter the UFC octagon to redeem himself with a spectacular performance.
Cards that appear weak on paper deliver the most
Apart from the headliner, UFC Vegas 22 does not have big names in its line-up. Most of the fighters competing on the card are relatively unknown names, especially for the casual and semi-hardcore fans. But if there is anything that we have learned from the outcome of UFC Fight Night cards, it is that cards that appear weak on paper usually deliver fireworks. Last week's UFC Vegas 21 card is the latest example of this phenomenon.
The UFC Vegas 22 main card will kick off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 20.