Holland Beats Up Nelson In Welterweight Return
03/22/2025 06:12 PM
Kevin Hollandvs.Gunnar Nelsonsquared off in a Welterweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., March 22, 2025) at UFC London from The 02 Arena in London, England. In a fun fight, Holland did more damage and earned the nod.
Holland opened the fight with a series of low kicks, checking his foe's unique stance and range. About 90 seconds into the round, Nelson timed a takedown entry well and grounded his opponent. Holland responded right away with an omoplata attempt, but Nelson was able to power free of the hold. Though Nelson controlled his foe, Holland did well to maintain his guard and land some small shots of his own. "Trailblazer" scrambled back to his feet with just seconds remaining, but he made the most of it, flooring Nelson with a long right hand! He chased the Icelandic talent to the floor, but the bell saved Gunnar Nelson and brought him into round two.
Holland kept the aggression going into the new round, surging forward and landing in the clinch for a moment. Back at distance, Holland attacked the lead leg and near clipped Nelson with another right hand. Nelson was forced to wrestle, but he couldn't drag down Holland despite some deep grips and good positions. Finally, he was able to trip Holland after a lot of energy expended and some shots taken. He wasn't able to get much going, however, getting out-landed despite Holland being the man on bottom.
With five minutes remaining, Nelson needed a finish.
The two traded strikes in the clinch early in the third with Holland landing the bigger blows. Nelson was able to score another takedown along the fence, this time passing immediately into mount! Holland used the fence to explode and recover guard. Nelson ate a couple upkicks but dropped some hard right hands, using the lands to pass guard and begin threatening an arm triangle choke. Just as Nelson moved to pass guard, Holland escaped the strangle and scrambled to his feet. Back on the feet, Holland landed more heavy shots in the clinch, putting the finishing touches on a strong showing.
It was good to see Holland back at Welterweight. His grappling just holds up much better at 170-pounds, where he's able to continually force scrambles and make his opponent work much harder to hold him down. On the feet, he was vastly superior, doing his best work from close quarters and catching Nelson pulling away from the clinch.
Welcome back to the win column, "Big Mouth."
Result: Holland defeats Nelson via unanimous decision
For complete UFC London results and play-by-play, click here.
