In his UFC debut, former LFA middleweight champ Brendan Allen drew an old rival in Kevin Holland — and while bloodied at UFC Boston, Allen got the job done.
After capturing middleweight gold in LFA and earning a shot in the UFC via the Contender Series, Brendan Allen was set to take on Kevin Holland at UFC Boston. Holland, a fellow Contender Series veteran, had won three straight in the promotion since losing an action-packed debut to Thiago Santos last year.
The pair were supposed to meet in LFA, but the fight never materialized with Holland moving on to the big show. With Allen arriving as well, it could finally go down. Holland, it’s worth noting, took the fight on relatively short notice.
Allen started by bringing the pressure, moving forward, and within 30 seconds he had a takedown secured. Holland powered up, but did so with Allen on his back. While Allen couldn’t maintain the position, he got Holland back down. Again, he took the back, this time getting hooks in. But Holland shook him off, leaving Allen on his back working for a leg lock. That was a dangerous spot to be in. Holland opened him up with a nasty elbow, and the newcomer was spilling what seemed like pints of blood. He spent a good chunk of time still looking for the leg lock to no avail. Holland, however, managed to get Allen in a rear-naked choke, showing some ground skill of his own.
Blood perhaps giving the assist, Allen managed not only to survive, but reverse. And at round’s end, he caught Holland in a tight rear-naked choke. When Holland escaped, Allen locked on an arm-bar, but Holland pulled free of that as well.
After a rude welcome to the UFC in the first, Brenden Allen went right back after Holland in the second. However, it was Holland earning the takedown, with little defense from Allen outside a guillotine choke. Holland pulled free, and Allen worked for an arm then threw up a triangle attempt. Despite being in a dominant position, Holland was getting little done, instead fending off submission attacks. Allen then transitioned to the top, taking the back. He’d land a bit of ground n’ pound, then get into half-guard in a scramble. Allen came close to mount, and Holland gave up his back. This time, the rear-naked choke was in tight, and Holland was forced to tap!
Official Result: Brendan Allen def. Kevin Holland by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:38
