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Kevin Holland squared off against Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC Vegas 23. While Holland showed some good standup, he didn't have answers for Vettori's wrestling which eventually proved to be decisive in the fight. Marvin Vettori picked up a unanimous decision victory to hand Kevin Holland his second main-event loss within a span of 21 days.
While Kevin Holland has earned a reputation for mid-fight trash talking, he showed a different side of himself at UFC Vegas 23. Holland was gracious in his defeat and walked up to Marvin Vettori to pay his respects. Shaking hand with Vettori, Holland said:
"I believe in you just like I used to in everybody else. We're all fighters here, you know what I mean."
Marvin Vettori replied:
"I respect that."
Kevin Holland's statement after loss
Marvin Vettori is now riding a five-fight win streak which is likely to launch him into title contention in the near future. Kevin Holland, on the other hand, seems to have finally had his hype train derailed for good.
'The Trailblazer' was bestowed with the 'Fighter of the Year' award by MMA Junkie after winning all five of his bouts in 2020. However, Kevin Holland suffered defeat in his first outing of 2021 at the hands of Derek Brunson. Holland then got another shot at starting the year right as he stepped in for Darren Till at short notice.
However, Kevin Holland was dominated by Marvin Vettori on the ground in a similar fashion to his previous bout. Marking a resemblance between the two fighters in the aftermath of the fight, Kevin Holland wrote on Instagram:
"@darrentill2 sorry I dint get the job done been a fan of your style and spirit awhile so it’s always a honor to step up if your down hope that doesn’t sound weird. Also wish you speedy recovery. @derekbrunson vs @marvinvettori next since you both hump so well…. props to you both you made me a better man but @b_allen185 is better than you both. I’ll be back see you 3 little ninjas around until then I’ll be searching for some good sex partners to help me stop the humping #sorryhomies #illbeback #induetime"
