On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
This past Saturday on the main card of UFC London, we saw a fun matchup in the welterweight division. Promotional fan favorite Kevin Holland (27-13) is dropped back down to 170 pounds as he took on the returning Gunnar Nelson (19-6-1).
This was Gunnar Nelson’s first fight in two years while Holland was dropping back to welterweight after he moved back up to middleweight last year. Holland always struggled with the size and strength of grapplers at 185 pounds which is why he dropped to welterweight in the first place. After two straight losses at 185, Holland was back at 170.
While Nelson was still able to land takedowns on Holland on Saturday, you could tell why Holland is much better at 170 pounds. He was able to rock Nelson and nearly finish him at the end of the first round. Throughout the fight, he was able to scramble decently well and he always felt like he was out in front on the scorecards. When the decision was read at UFC London, it was a unanimous decision for The Trailblazer.
What’s next after UFC London?
Let’s be clear here, Kevin Holland belongs at 170 pounds. I know that he doesn’t love the weight cut, but if he’s serious about his success inside the octagon, he needs to stay at welterweight. He just has a much easier path to success at 170 than he does at 185.
With that, let’s assume his next fight is at welterweight. Who should the UFC pair him with? I really like the idea of Holland facing Carlos Leal in his next fight. Leal is coming off a huge TKO win over Alex Morono just a couple of weeks ago. I think these two would have a sensational fight and I think that’s a great next option for both guys.
More must-reads:
- Browns' stance on Shedeur Sanders makes sense, but it exposes their limited options
- Ohio State exorcises Michigan demons with blowout road win
- The 'Five game-winning-drives in a season' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
UFC co-creator raises concerns over how Dana White’s focus could change due to the Paramount+ deal
Alex Pereira viciously knocks out sparring partner after UFC icon was challenged in the gym
Alex Pereira looks as ready as ever for his return to the octagon as new footage showed him brutalizing a man who challenged him to a spar. The two-weight UFC champion is currently preparing to defend his newly reclaimed light-heavyweight title against Carlos Ullberg early next year. And he appears to be hitting his stride as he absolutely battered an unknown fighter in the gym. Pereira famously knocked out Israel Adesanya to end his lengthy middleweight title reign in 2022, before moving up and winning light-heavyweight gold. A legendary 2024 run saw him beat almost all comers within months, before he lost the belt to Magomed Ankalaev earlier this year and reclaimed it in October. Alex Pereira brutalizes sparring partner after gym challenge Earlier this evening, Baba Buwaba posted to his Instagram story ‘Standupstriking’ a video of Alex Pereira at the tail end of a brutal sparring session with an unknown fighter. Somehow the video made it to mainstream social media pages in MMA, and it is already going viral. Did Alex Pereira go too far in viral gym KO video? It seems that there is more to the story than what social media footage shows, but Alex Pereira could be seen in a new video brutalizing a much lower level fighter in sparring. Is all fair in love and war, or did he do too much Comment Like or Comment Pereira appears to have been challenged to a hard spar by the man while training at Fusion X-Cel in Florida. And he delivered in spades, dropping his opponent to the body multiple times early in the footage and seemingly getting him to quit. However, the sparring partner, who seems to be called Neil, was pressed to continue. And Pereira put the finishing touches on him as the buzzer sounded, brutally knocking him out with one of the few headshots he threw. Fans react as Alex Pereira viciously KOs sparring partner Viewers weren’t sure what to say after watching Pereira brutalize his sparring partner. Some felt it was unnecessary, while others enjoyed someone being shown a reminder of just what a UFC champion can do to a lesser opponent. “Buddy tried to turn it up against Alex Pereira and got iced,” one fan wrote with a laughing emoji. Another added that “The guy challenged him. He wanted that.” One other viewer made the point that “Truthfully, Alex only goes this hard on people who test him in the gym.”
After missing out on Lane Kiffin, Florida has new top target in coaching search
The Florida Gators won't be hiring Lane Kiffin as their next head coach, but there's a new top candidate in Gainesville. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is now the leading candidate for the head coaching position. Sumrall has also reportedly withdrawn his name from consideration for the HC role at Auburn, leaving his options open between remaining at Tulane and moving to Florida. The Gators stand at 3-8 before Saturday's rivalry game against Florida State and have fired former head coach Billy Napier after a 3-4 start to his fourth season in the Swamp. Thamel reported on Friday that Florida had stopped considering Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as a candidate, amid Kiffin's upcoming decision to either stay at Ole Miss or accept the head coaching job at LSU. Why Florida would be interested in Jon Sumrall According to Thamel, Sumrall is expected to decide by Sunday whether he will stay in New Orleans or move southeast to Gainesville. Sumrall, 43, is in his second year at Tulane, having taken over after Willie Fritz was named head coach at the University of Houston. Sumrall maintained the momentum of Tulane's football program established by Fritz, leading the Green Wave to the American Athletic Conference championship game a year ago. This season, No. 24 Tulane is 9-2 heading into Saturday's regular season finale against Charlotte. A win on Saturday night would secure a home game for the Green Wave in the AAC championship against North Texas. If Sumrall and Tulane win the AAC title, a College Football Playoff spot could be possible. With Sumrall's impressive record as a head coach — 41-11 between his tenures at Troy and Tulane — it's easy to see why the powers that be in Gainesville have identified him as the top target in Florida's coaching search now that Kiffin is out of the running.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed that he offered Micah Parsons plus a first-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for Quinnen Williams during training camp. Jerry Jones says Jets turned out incredible trade offer for Quinnen Williams “I wanted a one and Parsons for Williams,” Jones said on 103.5 The Fan. That seems like an absurd offer, but Jones left little up to interpretation. “A one and Parsons for Williams,” he repeated. Later, he added that the deal did not go through because the Jets “did not have the cap room to pay [Parsons].” Jones also said something similar to WFAA’s Ed Werder: “We tried at training camp with the Jets to basically make an exchange that was ready to go, heads up, with Quinnen and Micah and a one, and we didn’t get it done.” Parsons, of course, was instead sent to the Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. The Cowboys later acquired Williams before the trade deadline for a package including a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Jones has slowly revealed more and more information about the Parsons trade since it was completed. During a September radio appearances on ESPN New York, Jones said that called the Jets regarding Williams when he was shopping Parsons before the season. The Jets were not interested, he claimed, because they “didn’t have the resources to entertain [the] conversation,” similar to his pronouncement on 103.5. If true, Jets made a big mistake If Jones’ latest revelation is true, that means two things. First, he was willing to sacrifice a massive amount of value to move Parsons and acquire Williams. Second, the Jets made a huge mistake in not accepting the deal. Although Williams is an excellent defensive tackle, Parsons is undoubtedly a better and more valuable player, even at a higher price point. This year, Williams has 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; per Pro Football Focus, he ranks fifth among interior defenders with 40 pressures but 38th with a 12.1% pass-rush win rate. Parsons, meanwhile, has 12.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, plus 67 pressures and a 24.3% pass-rush win rate, both top-three marks among NFL edge-rushers. In his career, he has averaged 0.89 sacks and one tackle for loss per game; Williams’ per-game numbers are 0.41 sacks and 0.60 tackles for loss. Those numbers may not tell the complete story of either player, but it seems like the Jets should have taken Jones’ offer. Sure, they would have had to pony up for Parsons’ mega-extension, but they were already prepared to move on from Williams. Adding an extra first-round pick on top would also give the Jets an opportunity to add another starter — if not a star — on a rookie contract. That would help to offset the financial cost of acquiring Parsons. How realistic is Jerry Jones' claim? But Jones’ words should also be taken with a grain of salt. He has spent a lot of time trying to retroactively justify trading away Parsons, especially after using some of the resulting draft capital to acquire Williams. Claiming that the Jets were not interested in Parsons and a first-rounder for Williams serves to downplay the former’s value and boost the latter’s. The idea that the Jets could not afford to pay Parsons does not hold water, either. After his extension, the All-Pro edge-rusher’s cap hit in 2025 is just $9.97M. New York certainly could have designed a similar contract structure and absorbed Perhaps the Jets didn't want to commit so much money to Parsons as they were clearly contemplating a rebuild. Parsons would still be a cornerstone for that effort, but he may not have wanted to weather any losing seasons in the hopes of a future turnaround. But again, adding another first-round pick would have accelerated that process, and a core of Parsons, cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson seems like a solid foundation for the Jets to build from. That is an expensive trio, but having elite players at three of the sport’s most important positions is a good problem to have. Instead, the Jets declined the Cowboys’ initial offer for Williams before moving him and Gardner at the deadline as part of what appears to be a full-on franchise reset.
Eagles' grip on NFC East suddenly in danger of slipping away amid spiral, Cowboys' resurgence
Life comes at you fast in the NFL, and the Philadelphia Eagles are finding that out right now. Now they are in a position where what looked to be a runaway lead in the NFC East is rapidly shrinking, and it could be in danger of completely slipping away after an ugly 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears on Friday. Especially after the Dallas Cowboys won again on Thursday, continuing to narrow the gap in the division. Could the Eagles actually lose the division? The odds are still in the Eagles' favor, but given the way both teams are playing right now, nothing should be considered a given. Dallas has rapidly become one of the hottest teams in the NFL with three consecutive wins, and boasts one of the league's best offenses. The Cowboys' much-maligned defense has also been given a massive boost thanks to the trade-deadline addition of defensive lineman Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets. Dallas really started to get some belief for itself when it rallied to beat the Eagles in a massive NFC East game a week ago. It continued on Thanksgiving with another big win over the Kansas City Chiefs. With Philadelphia's loss on Friday, the gap in the division is now down to just a game-and-a-half with five weeks to go in the season. Hardly insurmountable. Are the Eagles still in the driver's seat? Sure. Would they trade positions with the Cowboys right now? No way. But that doesn't mean anybody in Philadelphia has to be feeling good about any of this given the way the Eagles are playing. Especially when it comes to the team's offense. The Eagles offense has been a struggle for much of the season, and it is getting progressively worse with each game. The passing game has been non-existent. They entered play on Friday with the 23rd-ranked passing offense in the league, and it looked worse than that against the Bears. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has struggled with consistency, the team's best wide receiver — A.J. Brown — seems perpetually miserable with his role and usage, and the play-calling has become shockingly conservative and bland. The running game that carried the Eagles to the Super Bowl a year ago has struggled to build any sort of a rhythm, and Saquon Barkley has been a shell of what he was last season. Even worse, they have almost completely eliminated any designed runs for Hurts, something that was a major X-factor for the offense in recent years. If all of that is not concerning enough, a new issue emerged on Friday — the defense that has helped keep the Eagles afloat this season and lift up the inconsistent offense was completely dominated by the Bears' running game. They were pushed around, bullied and could not get off the field on important third downs. It just looks like a team that has no confidence and nothing going for it. Conversely, the Cowboys all of a sudden look like a team that can do nothing wrong and they are suddenly breathing right down the Eagles' necks. Philadelphia still has games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders (twice) remaining. The Cowboys still have the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Chargers, Commanders and New York Giants. The schedules are pretty similar. But the division might not come down to the opponents. It might come down to what the Eagles and Cowboys can do on their own. The Cowboys should be very confident right now, and the Eagles should not be.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
