VIDEO: A sensational left hook and a UFC legend falls. Holland entertained, praised his opponent for kicking his leg, now he wants a fight for the BMF belt

UFC 287 offered some very interesting fights on the main card. One of them was provided by Kevin Holland and Santiago Ponzinibbio, two men who know how to finish their opponents. So it was expected that some sort of knockout could fall and indeed it did.

The UFC returned to Miami after many years and the Florida metropolis had a lot to look forward to. The main card in particular was full of interesting names that promised some awesome fights and some finishes as well.

We got a chance to see one of them in a fight between two seasoned fighters and great stand-up guys. Kevin Holland and Santiago Ponzinibbio faced each other.

Holland may still only be 30 years old, but he now boasts 34 professional fights. Ponzinibbio is 7 years older and the fight with Holland was fight number 36 for him.

Ponzinibbio is a seasoned veteran, he had a great winning streak in the UFC up until 2018 and was counted on to break through to a title shot. But then a staph infection took hold and the Argentine took more than two years to recover.

Holland finished off his opponent in a masterful display

He lost four of his six fights on his return. We’re already counting the fight with Holland, who didn’t give Ponzinibbio many chances in the bout. The American was better from the start, making great use of his longer arm spans and his height, moving well.

Holland also combined well with a variety of punches, while Ponzinibbio was not as variable. In the second round, the American nearly delivered a superb knockout when he landed a backfist to the Argentine legend’s chin. However, it was at the end of the round and Ponzinibbio recovered.

But Holland was coming for another KO in the third round. He hit Ponzinibbio with a hard left hook and he went down, unable to defend himself properly. Still, the Argentine complained of an early stoppage. He notched his seventh career loss and otherwise has 29 wins.

Holland, on the other hand, now has a 24-9 record and after the fight not only thanked Ponzinibbio for kicking his leg, but also asked to fight Jorge Masvidal for the BMF belt, the belt belonging to the holder of the “Baddest Motherf**ker” title.

Masvidal, however, fought Gilbert Burns in the same tournament and lost. Before the tournament, he clearly announced that the loss would mean the end of his career and that’s exactly what he announced after the fight.

Source: UFC, Twitter, Sherdog