UFC on ESPN 21 results: Derek Brunson outwrestles Kevin Holland for unanimous decision upset

Derek Brunson’s momentum keeps growing.

The UFC middleweight added another win to his current streak and outpointed rising contender Kevin Holland in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21. Brunson (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) defeated Holland (21-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) with a unanimous decision, winning 49-45, 49-46 and 49-46 on the judges’ scorecards.

The middleweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 21 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

In the first round, Holland came out fast, immediately pressuring Brunson. And in one of the early exchanges, Holland slipped and Brunson followed him to the round ending in Holland’s guard. Brunson maintained top control and landed ground-and-pound for four minutes.

The second round had arguably Holland’s best moment of the entire fight. “Big Mouth” connected early and wobbled Brunson, who immediately went on survival mode, scrambling for the takedown. After a few big shots, Brunson was able to get the takedown and control Holland. Brunson kept top position and then locked an arm-triangle. Holland did a great job at escaping and getting back to his feet, but was shortly taken down again.

The third, fourth and fifth rounds were a continuation of Brunson’s game plan. Round after round, the seasoned veteran was able to drag Holland to the canvas, control him and wear him out with ground-and-pound. It was a smart and poised performance by Brunson.

With the result, Brunson is now on a four-fight winning streak. His most recent defeat came against current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in 2018 at UFC 230. Brunson expressed his desire to fight a top-five opponent for his next trip to the octagon and mentioned ex-title challenger Paulo Costa as a possible option.

Holland’s momentum from 2020 came to an end. The 28-year-old picked up five victories in 2020 and quickly established himself as contender in the division.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 21 results include:

• Derek Brunson def. Kevin Holland via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-46, 49-46)
• Max Griffin def. Song Kenan via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:20
• Montserrat Ruiz def. Cheyanne Buys via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Adrian Yanez def. Gustavo Lopez via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:27
• Tai Tuivasa def. Harry Hunsucker via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:49
• Macy Chiasson def. Marion Reneau via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Grant Dawson def. Leonardo Santos via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 4:59
• Trevin Giles def. Roman Dolidze via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Montel Jackson def. Jesse Strader via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:58
• Bruno Silva def. J.P. Buys via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:56