After the enthralling UFC 293, where Sean Strickland beat Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight championship, the UFC now heads to Las Vegas for a fight night. The main event features Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, who will go head-to-head for the second time this year. The co-main event is between Kevin Holland and Jack Della Maddalena. In their earlier bout, Grasso caused an upset when she choked out Shevchenko in the 4th round of their title fight.
In Las Vegas, Shevchenko will look to redeem herself and reclaim the title. Apart from this exciting matchup, the co-main event for the evening will see Kevin Holland take on Jack Della Maddalena in a welterweight contest. Coming into this bout, Kevin Holland boasts a record of 25 wins, out of which 13 came via knockout. Conversely, Maddalena comes in with 15 wins, of which 11 are knockouts.
Peleón para coestelar de #NocheUFC!!! 🇲🇽
💥💥💥 Señor Kevin Holland vs Señor Jack Della Madalena 💥💥💥
Boletos a la venta: https://t.co/qoFbHJ1LKh pic.twitter.com/8llGb2X6Ip
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) August 18, 2023
On paper, this gives Maddalena the edge in terms of power and ferocity. But don’t let the numbers fool you, as Holland also has an impressive ground game, which was on full display in his last fight. Michael Chiesa was the victim who succumbed to Holland’s submission in the very first round of that fight. Let’s take a look at how the two match up for UFC Fight Night.
Kevin Holland vs Jack Della Maddalena stats
| Stats | Kevin Holland | Jack Della Maddalena |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 25 | 15 |
| Losses | 9 | 2 |
| Height | 191 cm | 180 cm |
| Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
| Reach | 206 cm | 185 cm |
| Age | 30 years old | 27 years old |
Fight breakdown and prediction
This fight will be a close matchup, with no clear favorites. In his last fight, Maddalena emerged victorious against Bassil Hafez. It was a closely contested 3-round fight, where Jack Della Maddalena came out victorious via a split decision. This doesn’t bode too well on paper, especially against Holland, who is coming into this fight via an impressive first-round submission of Chiesa, and a victory over Santiago Ponzinibbio prior to that.
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Maddalena won his contract with the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. He is ranked 14th in the division, whereas Holland is ranked a close 13th. Additionally, another thing to note is the massive reach advantage enjoyed by Holland, which stands at a massive 206 cm to Maddalena’s 185 cm.
An opportunity to move up the rankings and break into the top 10 lies before the two welterweights. This particular UFC event is slated to commemorate the Mexican Independence Day. As such, be ready to witness plenty of Mexican fighters leading up to the co-main and main events. Who are you supporting this weekend? Do let us know in the comments below.
