All Latest ES ThinkTank Newsletter Hub NFL Golf NBA College Basketball NASCAR WNBA Tennis Boxing Olympics UFC Swimming MLB Track and Field Gymnastics Soccer College Football

‘Battle of the Roid Heads’- Kevin Holland Berates Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori Ahead of Their Fight

ByKevin Binoy

Aug 7, 2021 | 11:47 PM EDT

Link Copied!

Marvin Vettori will take on Paulo Costa as the main event for the UFC card on October 23rd. Both men have recently come up short against the champion, Israel Adesanya, in their last outings in the UFC. Given that, and their rankings, the upcoming fight will have massive implications on the title picture at middleweight as the winner will put themselves within range of a title shot.

Kevin Holland, in a recent interview, shared his thoughts on the upcoming fight between Vettori and Costa. When asked what he made of the fight, he said, “Oh, I think that’s a really good matchup – battle of the roid-heads. I mean, battle of the…uh, I don’t know. Yeah, yeah, good matchup.” When asked who would win the fight, he said, “Whoever’s more angry.”

Article continues below this ad

Kevin Holland to bounce back with a win over Kyle Daukaus?

Kevin Holland suffered two back-to-back losses in the UFC for the first time. He lost to the likes of Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori. Both men used the same game plan and exposed a gaping hole in Holland’s game, i.e. wrestling. ‘Trailblazer’ had little to no takedown defense or ground game, which both men took advantage of in a big way.

Hence, Holland has recognized this as a weakness and has taken steps to improve his wrestling game. ‘Trailblazer’ spent a few weeks at American Kickboxing Academy with Daniel Cormier to work on his wrestling, which is sure to have helped him improve. Furthermore, Holland has now started working with former UFC champion and NCAA Division 1 Wrestling champion Johny Hendricks.

Article continues below this ad

If Holland can fix his wrestling, it will make him a force to be reckoned with in the UFC. ‘Trailblazer’ has legitimate one-punch knockout power, which he has displayed time and time again. Standing and trading with him will more often than not result in his opponent getting knocked down.

However, for that, it will be important for him to keep the fight on a vertical base. Hence, it will be interesting to see how far Holland has developed his wrestling game when he steps into the octagon in October.