Italian middleweight Martin Vettori goes head-to-head with Kevin Holland in a fight that takes the winner one step closer to going up against reigning champ Israel Adesanya. With his last loss being against Adesanya, you know it’s personal for Vettori.
Vettori was originally scheduled to fight Darren Till, however Till pulled out at the last minute due to a broken collarbone. To replace Till, Holland steps in on short notice after competing just a few weeks earlier.
Despite the card change, Vettori doesn’t seem phased. His fighting words came out as Vettori told MMA Junkie, “I’m already the best middleweight in Europe”. He’s coming back for his second UFC main event opportunity and off a 4-fight winning streak, winning Fight of the Night in his last bout against Jack Hermansson in December 2020. Vettori and Hermansson had a combined 286 significant strikes - the highest number in UFC middleweight history.
Meanwhile Holland steps in from a loss to Derek Brunson by a lopsided unanimous decision. Despite this, he still has plenty to brag about, previously riding on a five-fight win streak, during which he defeated opponents such as Jacare Souza, Charlie Ontiveros and Joaquin Buckley.
The No. 10 contender is pumped and ready to go, Holland instantly took to Twitter to trash talk once sealing the deal as Vettori’s new opponent.
“I’m next in line for the title, whoever has something to say will (need to) show up in 2 weeks so I can (show you for good).”
Trash talking aside, these two will bring an epic fight to show who the best middleweight in Europe truly is, and you don’t want to miss a beat.
MAIN CARD
Middleweight Bout
Marvin Vettori vs. Kevin Holland
Middleweight Bout
Sodiq Yusuff vs Arnold Allen