Kevin Holland drops Gunnar Nelson, wins decision

Kevin Holland proved his grappling is up to par at UFC Fight Night 255.

Holland (27-13 MMA, 14-10 UFC) was able to hurt Gunnar Nelson (19-6-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) and survive his grappling to earn a unanimous decision of 29-28 scorecards across the board. The welterweight bout was part of the UFC Fight Night 255 main card at The O2 in London.

WHAT A FIGHT 👏 #UFCLondon@TrailBlaze2Top beats Gunnar Nelson by unanimous decision! pic.twitter.com/w8Z7aaWuHH

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 22, 2025

Nelson landed his first takedown less than two minutes into Round 1, but Holland kept an active guard. Holland latched onto an omoplata, but Nelson carried him and kept him suspended in the air for a few seconds as the pair shared a laugh. Nelson eventually put Holland back on the mat as he worked from top position. Holland continued to try throwing up submissions and strikes off his back as he eventually scrambled out. With seconds winding down in the round, Holland dropped Nelson with a big right hand and some heavy ground and pound, but Nelson was saved by the bell.

Round 2 started off with the pair clinching. Nelson started working for a takedown, but Holland did well defending against the cage. Nelson was finally able to get the takedown in the center of the octagon. Holland threw short shots from bottom as Nelson was barely able to mount any offense from top position.

Nelson tried to get Holland to the floor to kick off Round 3, but was met with a few knees in the clinch. He secured the takedown shortly after and went straight into full mount. Holland was able to create separation, but remained on his back. Nelson landed a few good shots from top position then transitioned to an arm triangle choke which appeared deep. Holland turned out of it to escape, and made his way back to his feet. Holland landed a couple of jumping knees from the plum clinch, as Nelson stacked him against the cage to end the fight.

Holland admitted welterweight may be a better fit for him, but is happy to accept any middleweight matchup as soon as next week if it’s a striking affair. With the win, the 32-year-old snapped his two-fight losing skid.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 255 results include:

• Kevin Holland def. Gunnar Nelson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Alexia Thainara def. Molly McCann via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:32
• Chris Duncan def. Jordan Vucenic via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:42
• Nathaniel Wood def. Morgan Charriere via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Chris Padilla def. Jai Herbert via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Lone’er Kavanagh def. Felipe dos Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Marcin Tybura def. Mick Parkin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Christian Leroy Duncan def. Andrey Pulyaev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
• Shauna Bannon def. Puja Tomar via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 3:22
• Caolan Loughran def. Nathan Fletcher via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Kaue Fernandes def. Guram Kutateladze via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.