UFC 302 Odds, Prediction: Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
The 31-year-old American Holland returns to action just three months after suffering a three-round unanimous decision loss to Michael Page at UFC 299, which marked his fourth defeat in six octagon appearances. Oleksiejczuk is also coming off a defeat at UFC 299, where he was submitted by Michel Pereira just 61 seconds into their three-round clash. For the 29-year-old UFC veteran, that marked his second loss in three fights and third in his past six.
Holland has rocketed to a -300 favourite on the UFC 302 odds in his first middleweight contest in almost three years. Oleksiejczuk trails as a +240 underdog, while the odds of this clash going a full three rounds are pegged at +180.
Kevin Holland UFC 302 Odds
Kevin Holland returns to action after failing to get the nod from the judges in each of his past two fights. “Trailblazer” fell well short on points in his recent date with Michael Page, despite recording a pair of takedowns and over four minutes of control times. However, Holland was outstruck by a wide 41-29 margin, with Page landing significant strikes to the head and from distance with relative ease. That contest followed his loss to Jack Della Maddalena at Noche UFC, in which he deserved a better fate. Holland came out on the wrong end of a split decision despite being the far more aggressive of the two fighters, landing 127 significant strikes. Indeed, Holland has proven his ability to finish opponents standing and on the mat. His most recent victory came by submission just 159 seconds into his date with Michael Chiesa. That followed a devastating third-round KO win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 287, which marked his fourth career knockout win, and has helped boost him to a +625 favourite to produce the fastest KO/TKO win of the night on Saturday.
Michal Oleksiejczuk UFC 302 Odds
It has been feast or famine for Oleksiejczuk, who has seen six fights over his current 5-5 run end inside five minutes. Each of the Polish fighter’s past three victories have come by first-round knockouts, with his wins over Chidi Njokuani and Cody Brundage earning him Performance of the Night bonuses. However, “Hussar” managed to go the distance just once in his five most recent defeats, with his speedy loss to Pereira last time out marking his second loss inside five minutes over that stretch and the fourth time he was forced to tap out. Overall, Oleksiejczuk has been taken down to the mat on six total occasions over his past four fights. But while he managed to turn the tables on Njokuani, who he dominated on the mat and finished with an effective ground and pound, dictating level changes against Holland won’t be so easy.
UFC 302 Prediction: Kevin Holland vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
Oleksiejczuk is an accomplished striker, and has shown occasional flashes of improvement in recent fights when the action moves to the mat. However, he faces a tough opponent in Holland, who is equally adept and ferocious at either level and who is simply better at absorbing punishment.
Prediction: Holland in Round 2 (+400)
