Kevin Holland is the type of fighter to never lose three fights in a row. If you look at his record, the Texas native would lose two in a row only to bounce back and surprise people when they’d write him off. He lost to Khamzat Chimaev and Stephen Thompson, then won two against Santiago Ponzinibbio and Michael Chiesa, lost to Jack Della Maddalena and Michael Page, then won against Michał Oleksiejczuk. Recently, he was on a two-fight losing streak to Roman Dolidze and Reinier de Ridder, before turning his fortune around with a win over Gunnar Nelson at UFC Fight Night 255.

Nelson showed his resilience in the second, mounting a solid comeback, but Holland remained the more dangerous fighter as the bout progressed. In the final round, ‘Trailblazer’ continued to press the action, leaving no doubt in the judges’ minds as he secured a well-earned unanimous decision victory. His performance also impressed the former UFC champion Michael Bisping as well who was present at the ring side for the event. ‘The Count’ after watching the performance made some bold claims while speaking at the ‘UFC London Review’ show on TNT Sports.

Michael Bisping said that this was one of the most dominating performances by the 32-year-old after his two back-to-back losses at UFC 307 and UFC 311. However, with ‘Trailblazer’, consistency in his performances has always been a trouble. Only if he maintains consistency with his performances and work ethic, Bisping sees him as a title contender soon.

While speaking on the show ‘The Count’ said, “Kevin Holland tonight showed the Kevin Holland what he’s truly capable of doing. Almost knocked him out, almost got a submission. Damaged him with knees in the clinch and stuff like that. He looked brilliant and I just said it over there. I said this version if he takes it seriously, could be in a title discussion one day.” 

‘Trailblazer’ indeed looked pretty dangerous at the 170-pound division once again. However, he made it clear that he is not interested in chasing titles and said, “I’m not really the guy looking for a belt.” Rather he is focused on being one of the most active fighters in the UFC and said, “just looking to stay active, I’m looking to fight anybody and everybody.”. So who should the 32-year-old fight next in his career? It seems Joe Rogan has a unique opponent in line for him.

Joe Rogan wants to see a clash between Joe Rogan and Joaquin Buckley next

Just like many experts and fans, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has always been impressed with the way Kevin Holland goes about his business. On most UFC events the 57-year-old finds himself the best spot to watch the fight. Since this event happened in London, he watched the event on a JRE Fight Companion episode. Rogan had nothing but praise for ‘Trailblazer’ after his victory but felt the fight was a bit closer than what many expected.

He said, “That’s legit damage. He did all the damage even though Gunnar had control of him, he did the damage. Gunnar did do an arm triangle, yeah. But Kevin definitely did more damage to him. It could have been a draw. Good for Kevin. He needs it. Yeah, he’s saying I knew it could go either way,”

However, he then came up with a proposition for Holland’s next opponent in the welterweight division. Rogan added, “That’s [170 pounds is] his spot. He’s got legit championship potential. How about a rematch with him and Joaquin Buckley at 170? That would be crazy, you know. Bro, he’s [Buckley’s] a monster at 170. He’s a monster,”. One of Holland’s standout moments at 170 pounds came back in 2020 when he faced Joaquin Buckley.

From the beginning, Holland dominated the fight and dropped Buckley in the first round. However, he ended the fight in the third with a crushing right hand that sent ‘New Mansa’s mouthpiece flying. After that, Holland won three more before going on a mixed run of wins and losses in the promotion.

What do you think of Kevin Holland’s journey in the UFC? What about his last victory over Gunnar Nelson? Do you think he’ll ever fight for a title again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.