What’s next for Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland after UFC Vegas 23?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 23, Marvin Vettori was looking to extend his winning streak against short-notice replacement, Kevin Holland.

Vettori entered the fight coming off a dominant decision win over Jack Hermansson in December to put him in title contention. He was supposed to fight Darren Till, but after Till was forced out of the bout, Holland stepped up. Holland was coming off a disappointing loss to Derek Brunson just three weeks ago.

In the end, it was Vettori who got his hand raised by decision. The Italian used a similar game plan to Brunson as he used his wrestling to take Holland down at will and control the fight. Now, following UFC Vegas 23, here is what I think should be next for both fighters.

Marvin Vettori

Marvin Vettori knew exactly how to beat Kevin Holland and that was using his wrestling. It was clear from the first round, the Italian was stronger than Holland and “Trailblazer” had nothing for Vettori off his back.

Although Vettori would’ve wanted a finish, he did earn a dominant decision and is now on a five-fight winning streak. However, I don’t believe the Italian will be getting the rematch against Israel Adesanya that he wanted. Instead, Vettori likely needs another win or two, and rebooking the Darren Till fight makes sense.

If Vettori can beat Till, he would get some hype behind his name and it would cement him as the number one contender. The fight can also serve as Fight Night main event or as a co-main to Adesanya’s next title defense.

Kevin Holland

Kevin Holland had a ton of hype and momentum entering 2021 and not even four months into the year, most of it is gone.

Holland said after the loss to Brunson he would be going down to 170, but this short notice fight came up. However, after another loss, there is no question welterweight is his next move.

Not only should Holland move to welterweight, but he should take several months off to work on his grappling. He mentioned going to AKA, which does make sense, as takedown defense is a glaring hole in his game. The 28-year-old still has a ton of skill and should look to return in the fall against Daniel Rodriguez, who Holland was scheduled to fight last May in his plan to drop to 170 but an injury halted those plans.

Who do you think should be next for Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland after UFC Vegas 23?