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#4. Michael Chiesa
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The most glaring hole in Kevin Holland's skill-set appears to be his defensive grappling and anti-wrestling. Thus far, very few foes have managed to best the former middleweight in striking exchanges, leading many of his opponents to impose wrestling gameplans against him with immense success.
Derek Brunson struggled to contend with Holland's range and speed despite his own vaunted knockout power.
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What won Brunson the fight was the ease with which he was able to secure takedowns against 'Trailblazer', allowing him to cruise to a comfortable decision win.
If Holland has indeed made the strides he claims to have made with his wrestling and grappling, there is no better option for him to test his mettle against than Michael Chiesa. Chiesa is only 2 inches shorter than Holland and is a determined grappler with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The matchup will be both challenging and realistic for Kevin Holland as he'd be facing a strong wrestler without aiming too high up the rankings.
#3. Nick Diaz
The last time fans saw Nick Diaz in the octagon was in an uninspiring performance against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.
The older Diaz brother looked like a shell of his former self, and many eagerly expressed their confidence in never wanting to see Diaz fight again after witnessing his first-ever retirement to strikes. However, the Stockton legend recently made waves by outlining his desire to face reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
While the UFC would never book such a lopsided matchup, least of all given Diaz's previous struggles against wrestlers, if the former Strikeforce world champion is eager to fight out the remaining fight on his UFC contract, Kevin Holland is an ideal foe.
Holland is slowly garnering a cult following in MMA due to his heroics outside the cage and his exciting performances in it. While he may never become a world champion, a fight with Nick Diaz would do wonders for his career. Not only would it be the biggest payday of Holland's life, but the rub he'd get from besting one of the UFC's older stars would introduce him to the casual MMA fanbase, potentially building him up as a mid-level star for the promotion.
