5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN 21: Can Kevin Holland surge into title contention?

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head looks at five key storylines to follow at UFC on ESPN 21 in Las Vegas.

Two middleweight finishers will go head to head at UFC on ESPN 21 in a bid to gatecrash the title picture at 185 pounds.

Middleweight stalwart [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] and rising contender [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] will look to thrive under the main event spotlight on Saturday night. Both are on solid winning streaks and both have eyes on the division’s top men, with victory likely to propel one of them toward a bout against one of the 185-pound elite.

The co-headliner will see the return to action of [autotag]Gregor Gillespie[/autotag], who will look to bounce back from his first career defeat following his knockout loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244 in November 2019. He’s set to face surging Kiwi [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag], who will be keen to extend his winning run under the UFC banner after winning his first three bouts on the big stage.

UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

Ahead of the event, we take a look at five burning questions we’ll be seeking answers to when the fighters take to the cage.