Kevin Holland’s fight-ending accuracy and power was on display once again on the main card of UFC 287.
At 3:16 of the final round, Holland (24-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) sparked Santiago Ponzinibbio with a beautiful left hook to faceplant the Argentina-born fighter. The welterweight bout was part of the UFC 287 main card at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Holland utilized strikes from distance throughout the first round. Mixing up punches and kicks to the body, Holland was effective at keeping Ponzinibbio (29-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) just out of range to easily return fire. When Ponzinibbio decided it was time to charge forward, he did land nice leg kicks and a few solid overhand punches.
Holland, who is known for talking during his fights, asked Ponzinibbio after an exchange if he smelled marijuana in the arena before continuing to land strikes.
In the closing sequence of the first round, Ponzinibbio caught a kick from Holland, but a backfist sent Ponzinibbio to the canvas.
HOLLAND ROCKED HIM 👀 #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/6CoopDmNAz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 9, 2023
In the second round, Ponzinibbio continued to work the legs of Holland as he dealt with heavy forward pressure from his opponent. Holland’s left jab found its mark throughout the round, using it to set up a nice combination that hurt Ponzinibbio.
With five minutes to go, Ponzinibbio came out attacking with hard leg kicks. Holland stayed light on his feet and circled while pumping out left hand strikes. Ponzinibbio was having his best round of the fight, until Holland changed things in an instant.
Holland looked for a right hand after catching the kick, and then charged forward with a hard left hook that dropped Ponzinibbio face-first into the mat. The follow-up punches landed with no response, prompting the referee to rush in to stop the fight.
During his post-fight interview, Holland called out Jorge Masvidal, who competes in the co-main event of the pay-per-view.
“Hey Jorge, if you don’t retire after Gilbert Burns gets done whooping your ass tonight, I would definitely love a chance for that BMF belt,” Holland said.
"See you soon, boy."
Kevin Holland with a message for Jorge Masvidal after his win at #UFC287 🍿 pic.twitter.com/8GQhHoHt1i
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 9, 2023
Holland returns to the win column, snapping a two-fight skid in impressive fashion. A pair of setbacks to Khamzat Chimaev and Stephen Thompson followed back-to-back stoppage wins over Alex Oliveira and Tim Means.
Ponzinibbio entered on the heels of a stoppage victory over Alex Morono, but was stopped, bringing his record to 2-4 over his last six bouts.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 287 results include:
- Kevin Holland def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 3:16
- Christian Rodriguez def. Raul Rosas Jr. via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kelvin Gastelum def. Chris Curtis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Luana Pinheiro def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Joe Pyfer def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:15
- Loopy Godinez def. Cynthia Calvillo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Ignacio Bahamondes def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Steve Garcia def. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via knockout (body kick, punches) – Round 2, 0:36
- Sam Hughes def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
