Tale of the tape for Kevin Holland vs. Joaquin Buckley

Kevin Holland is finally going to get to fight someone, and he must be champing at the bit as he takes on last-minute replacement Joaquin Buckley at middleweight this Saturday at UFC Fight Night on ESPN+.

Holland is 17-5 with a 4-2 mark in the UFC. His TKO at 39 seconds of the first round of his last fight against Anthony Hernandez on May 16th gave him the chance to get right back in the cage. But a small injury in training canceled a bout scheduled for just two weeks later against Daniel Rodriguez. Then his opponent for last Saturday Trevin Giles fainted on the way to the octagon. He almost pulled off the ultimate last-second fight via Twitter against Ed Herman, but Herman was several margaritas deep in a hotel pool and couldn’t fight.

Holland averages 4.29 strikes per minute as well as 1.26 takedowns, and has 14 stoppages in his 17 career wins. At 6’3 he’ll have a reach advantage on his 5’8 opponent, and almost anyone competitive at 170 lbs.

Buckley makes his UFC debut with a 10-2 record, mostly acquired on the Legacy Fighting Alliance and Bellator circuits. The 26-year-old has seven career stoppages, all by knockout, and has some video to assess his talent. “New Mansa” fights out of St. Louis, Missouri.

Here are the betting odds at DraftKings Sportsbook for Kevin Holland vs. Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night on August 8th:

Money line odds

Kevin Holland: -360
Joaquin Buckley: +260

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA) or 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN) or 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO). NH/NJ/WV/IN/PA/CO only. 21+ (18+ NH). Eligibility Restrictions Apply. See website for details.