How Kevin Holland can make history against Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22

Kevin Holland can become the first fighter in UFC history to successfully take Derek Brunson down in their middleweight bout this Saturday at UFC Vegas 22.

Brunson, who is only behind Anderson Silva and Thiago Santos in knockout wins in the 185 lb division, comes off the back of three consecutive victories for the bout against 'Trailblazer.'

According to MMA by the Numbers, there are 312 fighters who have at least one UFC bout and have never been taken down, and only three have 100 percent takedown defense while facing over 15 attempts.

In addition to Brunson, who is third with 16 attempts, current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman with 20 attempts, and Dan Stittgen, who only fought in the UFC twice, with 17 attempts, complete the ranking.

There are 312 fighters who have at least one UFC bout and have never been taken down.Only three have 100% takedown defense while facing over 15 attempts:Kamaru Usman (20 attempts)Dan Stittgen (17 attempts)Derek Brunson (16 attempts)#UFCVegas22 @DerekBrunson

— MMA By The Numbers (@NumbersMMA) March 15, 2021

As soon as Kevin Holland took note of the statistics, he promised to make sure that Brunson leaves the takedown defense masters group after their fight.

Trailblazer shared a screenshot of the analysis to his Instagram stories, with the following subtitle:

"Take him down, make history, that's simple."

However, Brunson could also be looking to change some of the numbers in Kevin Holland's record, as he has not been defeated via knockout until now in his mixed martial arts tenure with the UFC.

Holland became a UFC phenomenon in 2020 when he managed to tie Roger Huerta and Neil Magny as the third fighter to fight and win five times in the same year.

Other stats Kevin Holland should be concerned about

UFC Fight Night: Hernandez v Holland

MMA by the Numbers points at yet another interesting statistic coming to the middleweight bout between Kevin Holland and Derek Brunson.

According to their analytics, Kevin Holland's performance drops significantly against fighters who have attempted five or more takedowns during a fight against him.

Trailblazer record reads 2-1 - the two wins being via split decision against such opponents. In contrast, it is 6-1 against adversaries who have had less than five takedown attempts.

Brunson has had at least seven takedown attempts in his last four fights, making him a very dangerous challenger to Kevin Holland.

When Kevin Holland's opponents have 5+ TD attempts:2-1 (2 split decision wins)51% control rate allowed-4 significant strike differentialWhen they don't:6-113% control rate allowed+166 sig. strike diff Derek Brunson has attempted 7+ takedowns in four straight fights.

— MMA By The Numbers (@NumbersMMA) March 16, 2021

However, taking the fight to the ground does not seem to be Brunson's style. From his 12 victories in the UFC, he has only beaten Brian Houston via submission.

How do you think Kevin Holland versus Derek Brunson will play out at UFC Vegas 22 this Saturday? Sound off in the comments.