UFC Pick: Kevin Holland Wins Inside Distance (+125) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
It’s been more than fifteen years since the UFC has hosted a premier event in Miami, but this will be corrected on Saturday evening as the 305 receives a stacked 13-fight card in the shape of UFC 287.
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will take the spotlight in a middleweight championship rivalry main event of the evening. Still, a bidding 170lb-prospect in Kevin Holland will look to re-establish himself as a top contender within a new weight class.
Continue reading for our UFC 287 betting guide and best betting picks, taking a first look at Kevin Holland and his opponent, Santiago Ponzinibbio.
UFC 287 Information
- Date & Time: Saturday, Apr. 8, 2023 – 10:00 PM EDT
- Location: Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida
- Scheduled Fights: 13
- Main Event: Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya (UFC Middleweight Championship Bout)
Kevin Holland Wins Inside the Distance (+125) Reasoning
I expect the speed discrepancy to be too much for Ponzinibbio to handle. The Argentine is also used to trading strikes with fighters of a similar size or smaller, but Holland won’t be that guy. Whether it’s the range and accurate combinations of Holland or a neck he finds, backing the younger and faster fighter with a history of stopping fighters inside the distance to continue his past trend holds a noteworthy level of betting value.
UFC 287 Hot Prospect Profile
Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland
- Pro MMA Record: 23-9-0 (7 KO, 4 decisions)
- UFC Record: 10-6 (5 KO, 2 submissions, 3 decisions)
Kevin Holland isn’t just a professional mixed martial artist; he’s also a keen smack talker and a modern-day hero. With a fruitful beginning to his UFC tenure, Holland quickly earned a reputation for his fight-finishing ability and how he achieved this while talking and interacting with his opponents or cageside staff.
With a martial arts background dating back to his mid-teenage years, Holland also made headlines for subduing a gun-wielding man in a restaurant in Texas in 2022. In the same year, he rescued a driver from a car wreck. The closest UFC has to their own Superman is Kevin Holland, and his MMA journey hasn’t been too shabby either.
Holland has battered the likes of Ronaldo Souza, Alex Oliveira, and Tim Means. And with four years of UFC experience on his resume, 10 promotional victories have delivered 5 knockouts and 2 submissions for a noteworthy highlight reel.
Holland reached the top of the middleweight division top 10 but couldn’t contend with Derek Brunson or Marvin Vettori. He’s now 2-1 as a welterweight contender, but his lone loss came against the former title contender Stephen Thompson. His only UFC defeats have come against top-ten-ranked fighters and title contenders; commendable, to say the least.
Holland vs. Ponzinibbio: The Fight Tape
Kevin Holland
As displayed on his current record, Kevin Holland is a diverse fighter, with both knockout and submission victories a common trend throughout his career. Despite losing, he did an excellent job against Stephen Thompson and could undoubtedly become a regular amongst the top ten of the welterweight division.
Holland is huge for a 170lb fighter; he can use his reach and has excellent strikes. His jiu-jitsu is top-notch, and we’ve witnessed his power potential on multiple occasions, including an awkward knockout over Jacare Souza from a grounded position.
Santiago Ponzinibbio
His opponent, Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-6-0), is a savvy veteran with UFC experience dating back to 2014. He was formerly a highly touted prospect; unfortunately, since returning from a long layoff, he hasn’t looked as sharp as he once was.
Ponz does a great job of fighting behind his jab, and his aggressive nature has served him well in the past. But now he’s matched with a significantly larger fighter and additionally has to deal with father time that’s creeping up on the 36-year-old.
Holland Wins Inside the Distance (+125): UFC 287 Hot Prospect Best Bet
The available UFC odds at the best US sportsbooks have positioned Holland as a significant betting favorite. While I can respect the pricing, I wouldn’t recommend paying the price on this straight moneyline.
Speed, size, and a well-diversified skillset lead me to believe Holland can take advantage of Ponz in any area of the game. In addition, watching Jingliang Li dispose of the Argentinian in round displayed a version of Ponz we’d never seen, and the fight-ending hunger of Holland can undoubtedly replicate this.
I believe the speed of Holland will be crucial in this bout, and if a big shot doesn’t finish Ponz, the Texas native has the tools and awareness to jump on submission and put his opponent out.
Our Top UFC 287 Pick: Kevin Holland Wins Inside the Distance (+125) at BetOnline [1u to win 1.25u]
UFC 287 Main Card & Odds
- Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya [UFC middleweight main event bout]
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal [UFC co-main welterweight bout]
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez [UFC bantamweight bout]
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio [UFC welterweight bout]
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez [UFC bantamweight bout]
UFC 287 Preliminary Card & Odds
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Curtis [UFC middleweight bout]
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Luana Pinheiro [UFC women’s strawweight bout]
- Karl Williams vs. Chase Sherman [UFC heavyweight bout]
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joseph Pyfer [UFC middleweight bout]
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez [UFC women’s strawweight bout]
- Trey Ogden vs. Ignacio Bahamondes [UFC catchweight bout]
- Steve Garcia vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke [UFC featherweight bout]
- Sam Hughes vs. Jaqueline Amorim [UFC women’s strawweight bout]
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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