Kevin Holland reveals key weapon as he plots victory over Jack Hermansson

Kevin Holland may be entering the biggest fight of his career, but he’s not short on confidence.

With Darren Till ruled out, Holland (20-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has agreed to step in to face Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Dec. 5, for an opportunity to catapult himself up the middleweight rankings.

Holland has an array of finishes on his resume and, since joining the UFC roster in August 2018, few have been able to hang with him on the feet. “Trailblazer” said he expects his striking arsenal to be a big factor against Hermansson (21-5 MMA, 8-3 MMA).

“The straight right hand,” Holland told MMA Junkie. “If I touch Jack enough times with that straight right hand, he will go to sleep. Or my elbow, or my left hand. It’s like, don’t get it mistaken, I’m not going to put it in my head because then I’ll go out there and try to do it, but I can submit Jack. Don’t ever get it twisted. I’m well-rounded. If Jack gets me to the ground and somehow gets the win that way, we all know that’s the way to win.

“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.”

Three of Hermansson’s past four wins have come by submission, where he was able to submit jiu-jitsu black belts Gerald Meerschaert, David Branch and Kelvin Gastelum, all in the first round. But, despite Hermansson’s finishing instincts on the ground, Holland isn’t afraid to go into his world if necessary.

“He’s a good grappler,” Holland said. “I hear he had a Greco-Roman background from what somebody from my team was saying, and he has a phenomenal heel hook he pulled off against Kelvin Gastelum, who’s a blackbelt in jiu-jitsu as well and he submitted some pretty decent guys. His grappling is phenomenal, so let’s go try it out. Get on the ground, squirm around a little bit, see what’s up with it.”

If Holland gets past Hermansson, he will not only make big waves in the UFC middleweight division, he would also join Neil Magny and Roger Huerta as the only fighters in modern UFC history to go 5-0 in a calendar year.