Report: Kevin Holland vs. Derek Brunson Targeted For UFC Event On March 20

Kevin Holland is hoping his monster run in 2020 translates well next year when he meets Derek Brunson.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that both Holland and Brunson have agreed to a five-round clash on March 20. The bout hasn’t been signed yet but it’s expected to headline a UFC Fight Night card. This would be Holland’s first UFC main event.

Holland is coming off a spectacular first-round knockout victory over Jacare Souza. Holland had Souza rocked with a punch off his back. He followed it up with some more punches for the finish. The wins improved the “Trail Blazer’s” 2020 record to a perfect 5-0.

As for Brunson, he’s riding a three-fight winning streak. In that span, Brunson has beaten Elias Theodorou, Ian Heinisch, and Edmen Shahbazyan. He hasn’t suffered a loss since November 2018, which was a TKO defeat at the hands of current UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya.

As it stands now, Holland holds the number 10 spot on the official UFC middleweight rankings. Brunson is three spots above him at number seven.

The year 2020 has been quite different for Holland and Brunson. As mentioned, Holland was busy with five fights. Brunson had just one bout in 2020, although it was his biggest victory in quite some time. Brunson scored a finish for the first time since October 2017.