Jack Della Maddalena proves too much for Kevin Holland as he battles his way to a split-decision victory

Despite the brilliant Noche UFC card being headlined by a title fight, a lot of light was shone on the co-main event affair between Kevin Holland and Jack Della Maddalena, and rightfully so.

Considered two fan favorites with a knack for entertaining spectators, the welterweights were expected to put on a show but the outing didn’t produce as many had originally expected. After a few moments of feeling each other out, the 170 standouts met in the center of the octagon and attempted to let their leather fly.

The first round played out as somewhat of a stalemate as both fighters enjoyed early success on the feet, which sustained for the entire five minutes. While he was likely behind in terms of volume, the Australian landed the bigger, cleaner strikes and likely came out on top in what was a razor-close opening round.

As the action got back underway, “Trailblazer” once again was the more active fighter, throwing more and landing some flush strikes. Della Maddalena continued his role as the power puncher and hit his opponent with some punishing hooks inside the pocket. Similar to the previous round, this one was tough to judge and both fighters failed to pull too far ahead.

Although both the fans and commentators weren’t entirely sure who was winning the bout at this point, Kevin Holland was advised by his cornermen that he may be behind after the first 10 minutes.

A somewhat uneventful third round saw more of the same. The Texan was comfortable fighting at range, trying to catch his challenger on his way in and using kicks to the legs and body to neutralize the boxer’s offense. Comfortable with his performance up to this point, the 27-year-old pushed forward with his game plan and managed to land some significant shots, which brought an end to a less-than-impressive final round.

The fans began to show their discontent at the deadlock until time came to a close. As expected, the brawlers went to a split decision on the scorecards and it was Jack Della Maddalena who managed to get his hands raised on the night. The #14-ranked welterweight will likely see an improved number next to his name next time out but didn’t entertain any questions regarding who he would like to face in the near future.