Derek Brunson Says Marvin Vettori Owes Him Money for a ‘Blueprint’ to Defeat Kevin Holland

UFC middleweight Derek Brunson took to social media and commented on the main event match-up for UFC Vegas 23. Marvin Vettori won out a dominant decision win on the scorecards after grounding Kevin Holland on multiple occasions. Chiefly, Holland will have to work on his takedown defense that has been exploited in a huge way in his last two fights.

In fact, Vettori put forth a UFC record for the number of takedowns landed at middleweight at 11 on route to a unanimous decision win.

Derek Brunson, who fought Kevin Holland on March 20, came in with a similar strategy and pulled off a win. Brunson had a cheeky observation to share about ‘The Italian Dream’ who is a divisional rival.

Also Read: Kamaru Usman and Other UFC Stars React as Marvin Vettori Creates a New Record at UFC Vegas 23

UFC Fight Night: Marvin Vettori vs Kevin Holland

Vettori was originally slated to face Darren Till in the main event for UFC Vegas 23, however, the Brit broke his collarbone. True to form, Kevin Holland stepped in on brief notice despite suffering a grueling defeat to Brunson. Holland’s loss to Brunson was a defining moment in his UFC run, and he would have benefitted from taking a break.

In the main event, ‘The Trailblazer’ found success in the first round and landed some clean blows on the feet. However, the tide soon changed as Vettori began taking the fight to the canvas with ease. The remaining four rounds were largely not competitive as ‘The Italian Dream’ found success with the drag takedowns.

Holland had a few moments of striking success on the feet, however, he spent a majority of the fight on his back. This could potentially be a huge problem going forward, as fighters will now target takedowns when fighting him.

Twitter was filled with MMA personalities voicing their opinion on ‘Trailblazer’ needing to work on his takedown defense.

As for Marvin Vettori, he’s now won five fights in a row at middleweight. However, his recent performance will unlikely be enough to warrant a rematch with Israel Adesanya. Furthermore, Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum next week is a consequential match-up that could determine the next contender.