In an interview with MMA Junkie, UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland spoke about his upcoming UFC Fight Night main event matchup against Jack Hermansson.
Holland, who replaced an injured Darren Till to face Hermansson in the headlining bout of the UFC’s December 5th Fight Night event, revealed that he plans to utilize ‘the sniper’ i.e. his deadly right hand to defeat the Swedish submission specialist.
Following a submission loss to close out 2019, Kevin Holland returned to his winning ways this year, amassing a four-fight winning streak.
Kevin Holland’s most recent fight transpired in October, and should he manage to beat Hermansson in December, Holland would become one of the rare UFC fighters to win 5 fights in a single year.
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Kevin Holland isn’t afraid of fighting Jack Hermansson on the feet or on the mat
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Kevin Holland asserted that if he hits Hermansson with the straight right hand enough times, he’d put the latter to sleep.
Additionally, Holland opined that he could also beat Hermansson with his left hand strikes or with his elbow strikes. 'The Trailblazer' added that he’s a well-rounded fighter and won’t shy away from trying to submit Hermansson, regardless of the fact that Hermansson is regarded as one of the most dangerous grapplers in the middleweight division today.
Holland noted, however, that the only way for Hermansson to beat him is to get the fight to the ground and submit him.
“You’re not gonna hit me and put me to sleep, you’re not gonna outstrike me, you’re not gonna do a lot of those things that you might do to somebody else. I’m not ‘Jacare,’ I’m not David Branch, I’m not none of those other guys. The right hand will be the sniper. The one utility belt will be the right hand. If I throw anything at him with the right hand enough times, he will fall, mark my words.”
Furthermore, Holland explained that Jack Hermansson is a good grappler. In doing so, he referenced Hermansson’s Greco-Roman wrestling background and the Swede’s spectacular heel hook submission win over high-ranking middleweight competitor Kelvin Gastelum.
Nevertheless, Holland reiterated that despite Hermansson’s grappling prowess, he’d have no qualms in fighting Hermansson on the ground.
The consensus in the MMA world is that the Kevin Holland vs. Jack Hermansson matchup is an incredibly significant one for the UFC middleweight division. A win for either fighter could help them ascend to the top-tier of the division and inch closer to a shot at the UFC middleweight championship that’s presently held by Israel Adesanya.
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