Kevin Holland looks to follow up his excellent 2020 in the main event of UFC Vegas 22 against Derek Brunson and Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writer | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Behunin (14-9) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Dan Doherty (25-17) | | | |  | | |
| Mike McClory (18-16) | | | | | | |
| Ryan Fortune (22-20) | | | | | |  |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (22-20) | |  | | | | |
| Heath Harshman (22-20) | | | | | | |
| Justin Gibbons (22-20) |  | | | | | |
| Doug Murray (21-21) | | | | | | |
| Dylan Bowker (21-21) | | |  | | | |
| Jay Anderson (17-25) | | | | |  | |
The main event of UFC Vegas 22 pits Kevin Holland against Derek Brunson, two red-hot middleweights. Holland was in the fighter of the year discussion last year after winning five fights with four stoppages, most notably a knockout against Jacare Souza. Brunson has won three in a row, knocking out promising prospect Edmen Shahbazyan last time out. Holland was picked by seven of 10 writers.
The new co-main event is between Max Griffin and Song Kenan following the fight-day removal of Gregor Gillespie vs. Brad Riddell. Griffin recently stopped a two-fight losing streak with a brutal TKO in his last fight. Kenan has won four of his last five. All but two writers picked Griffin.
Cheyanne Buys faces Montserrat Ruiz on short notice. Buys is 5-1 in her career and is coming off a Contender Series victory. Ruiz went 1-1 in Invicta before this short-notice opportunity. All but two writers picked Buys.
Gustavo Lopez faces Adrian Yanez on the main card. Lopez earned his shot at the UFC after defending the Combate Americas bantamweight title, going 1-1 since then. Yanez got his contract through the Contender Series with a first-round knockout, and his promotional debut finished the same way. All but one writer picked Yanez.
Heavyweights open up the main card as Tai Tuivasa fights Harry Hunsucker. Tuivasa recently snapped a three-fight losing streak with a knockout that pushed his UFC record to 4-3. Hunsucker, who is filling in for Don’Tale Mayes, is 7-3 in his career with seven stoppages. All but one writer picked Tuivasa.
