UFC welterweight Kevin Holland engaged in a âFight of the Yearâ contender at UFC Orlando, but one former foe wasnât impressed.
Holland faced former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson in the UFC Orlando main event on Saturday. Despite a back-and-forth battle for as long as the fight lasted, Thompson took home the TKO victory.
Many of Hollandâs fighting colleagues praised him for his toughness and grit against Thompson. But, UFC middleweight Derek Brunson wasnât one of them.
Holland battled Brunson in March 2021 during his stint at middleweight, losing via a unanimous decision. He went on to move to welterweight after two more fights at 185lbs.
Tensions were high between the two sides leading up to and directly following their fight, but Holland and Brunson appear to be less cordial now than most probably thought.
Kevin Holland & Derek Brunson Trade Barbs After UFC Orlando
In a recent tweet, Brunson poked fun at his former middleweight adversary Holland.
âKevin Holland the type of guy whoâd try to out moonwalk Michael Jackson, Kevin Holland the type of guy whoâd try to out sing BeyoncĂ©, Kevin Holland the type of guy whoâd try to out eat Joey Chestnut, Kevin Holland the type of guy whoâd try out kickbox an 50-0 kickboxer,â Brunson tweeted.
It didnât take long for Holland to clap back at Brunson.
âYes yes and yes. First good tweet you ever made,â Holland replied. âAlso the type of guy to come back up a weight class and smack that blonde head around. Iâd be doing it just for the fans thoâŠâŠ like always.â
Brunson hasnât fought since a loss to Jared Cannonier at UFC 271 in a No. 1 contender bout. He was supposed to face Jack Hermansson at UFC Orlando before pulling out due to an injury.
Entering UFC Orlando, Holland lost to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 in a fight that was put together hours before the event. He was originally supposed to face Daniel Rodriguez.
Holland will likely opt to return to welterweight to try to get back in the win column. Although if he decides to give middleweight another go, a rematch between him and Brunson could potentially take place.
I like Holland. I hope he isnât too damaged after this fight
Any pics of his x ray?
not that ive seen
Yeah WB was straight beating Holland down in the last round . Kevin got punished
I have no desire to see Holland fight Brunson again⊠Neal vs Holland is fun ⊠Vettori vs Brunson makes sense
Didnât Neal just win? What about Holland vs Luque?
Holland-Luque does sounds really good. Also, isnât Brunson retiring after another fight or two?