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Kevin Holland is hoping to finally get in the octagon tonight, and he should be more than ready when 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 make a quick turnaround, but a small injury canceled his first opportunity, and then his opponent Trevin Giles fainted on the way to the octagon last Saturday. 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 and 1.26 takedowns, with 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 steps in as a last-minute fighter, making 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 here’s some video if you’d like to see him fight. “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 from Las Vegas on August 8th.
Betting splits
Kevin Holland: -500 (97% of action, 78% of bets)
Joaquin Buckley: +345 (3% of action, 22% of bets)
Here are the DraftKings DFS salaries for Kevin Holland vs. Joaquin Buckley tonight:
DraftKings DFS Salaries
Kevin Holland: $9,400
Joaquin Buckley: $6,800
If you need guaranteed points, Holland is probably the way to get them. His price is still pretty good considering he’s such a massive favorite, and you almost have to hope he lands a few blows before getting the first-round stoppage for scoring purposes. His 39 second KO last time only scored 107, and you’ll hope to get more here. But the first round win is the key here, and that should be what’s coming.
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