Kevin Holland vs. Darren Stewart

Round 1
Opening the main card – the whole event is airing on ESPN+ – is a middleweight matchup pitting Stewart (12-5, 1 NC; 5-5, 1 NC UFC) against yet another fighter initially signed from the Contender Series in Holland (18-5, 5-2 UFC). The pairing between two men who prefer to get the finish will be presided over by referee Mark Smith, and the two men touch gloves to start off. Holland opens up with a leg kick and blocks an overhand right. Stewart goes to the same big right hand, and Holland charges him. In the clinch, a wild volley from both men comes in the form of several knees and elbows. Holland pushes Stewart to the fence, and he tells Stewart that he is strong. Holland gets kneed in the groin and is allowed time to recover, and he says it is an “Apex thing.” The action resumes as Holland kicks the leg, and they both clash leg kicks at the same time. Holland ducks a pair of looping hooks on the way out, and as he jabs he gets kicked in the leg. Stewart connects with a hard leg kick, and he tries to check it but does not get his guard up in time. Holland flings a head kick and Stewart eats it like a sandwich, and Stewart responds with a huge right hand that wobbles Holland. “Trailblazer” falls back to the canvas, possibly to lure his opponent in or he could be hurt, and he cracks Stewart with two huge punches that make the Brit have rubber legs. The two bite down on their gumshields and swing furious leather until they die up, and Holland stomps his toes as hard as he can. Both men start punching each other in the thigh as they turn one another about against the fence, and Holland works the body and checks Stewart in the face with his shoulder. Stewart absorbs several loud stomps on his toes and knees to the thigh, and Holland backs off to fire two punches but the Brit blocks them. Holland steps in with a side kick, and as Stewart steps out of the way, Holland hits him with a standing hammerfist. When Stewart throws a naked leg kick, Holland counters him with a left hand, and Stewart wears it well. The Brit crashes in for a takedown, and Holland defends it with a guillotine choke to stand Stewart up. Smith already calls both men to work, and Holland attempts to throw his man. They separate, and Holland kicks him in the head and points at him to laugh. The horn sounds, and the two men grin.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Holland
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Holland
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Holland

Round 2
The second round begins with Holland cracking jokes and laughing, before he kicks the lead leg. Holland stomps forward to make Stewart react, and he kicks the knee hard. Stewart returns with one of his own, and Holland kicks high and gets his leg caught. The Brit picks up the leg and slams Holland down, before landing a strike on the ground before standing up. When Holland tries to hit him with an upkick, Stewart punches the sole of his foot. Both men trade leg kicks, with Holland trying to sweep the leg and kick out the knee. Smith decides he has had enough of that exchange and stands them up. Holland kicks the leg, and Stewart kicks straight to the kneecap in response. Holland chops at the leg again, and he avoids the counter while smacking Stewart with a hammerfist. They trade leg kicks, and Holland blasts Stewart with a one-two. Stewart spins about possibly hurt, but he fires back at him and shouts “Let’s go” repeatedly. Holland backs off and takes a few leg kicks along with a jab, before chaining together an unorthodox combination with a back fist and hammerfist included. Stewart lands a kick to the groin, and Smith does not see it so we do not take a pause. Holland shoots in low to duck an overhand right, and his neck is instantly in guillotine choke danger. Stewart grabs hold of the neck but bails on it to punch him in the side of the head. Holland stands up and wings a few punches, but Stewart defends them without concern. Stewart stomps the knee again, forcing Holland to shake his leg out. The Brit kicks it again, halting Holland in his tracks. Holland lands a side kick, and he avoids a jab to shoot in from a distance. He abandons the takedown to start swinging heavy leather on Stewart, landing shots until they clinch up. Stewart spins him around and lifts him in the air as the horn blares. Mid-air, Stewart decides to slam Holland down with gusto, and Smith breaks them up.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Holland
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Holland
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Holland

Round 3
They clap hands to check in the third round, and as Stewart walks forward, Holland slings a few hooks that glance off the chin. Stewart winds up with a right hand and Holland is barely able to duck out of the way. Holland kicks the leg and gets it caught, so he punches Stewart in the face a few times until the Brit elevates the leg and slams Holland down. Holland works his way back up, but Stewart has his hands clasped and he puts Holland back to the ground. “Trailblazer” again fights his way up and sets up a kimura to sweep Stewart. Stewart holds the cage several times with his toes, and Smith and Holland both call him out on it. The two get back up against the cage, and they jockey for position while they deliver a few knees to the body. After landing a few punches to the thigh, they disengage. Holland stings him with a right hand, and Stewart is not concerned and walks forward. The American ducks down to take the fight to the ground, and “The Dentist” stuffs it and cracks Holland on the chops with an elbow. Holland stays committed to the takedown, but Stewart turns him around and scoops Holland up to slam him down. Stewart lands a few strikes from on top, and Holland rolls to his side to eat several punches and draw a warning to fight back from Smith. Holland boxes his ears and elbows him from his back, and Stewart postures up to rain down punches and elbows. Stewart starts trash talking Holland on top as he drops down punches, and yells at his opponent while punishing him from on top. Stewart continues to shout and strike until the final horn ends this unusual fight.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Stewart (29-28 Holland)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Stewart (29-28 Holland)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Stewart (29-28 Holland)

The Official Result
Kevin Holland def. Darren Stewart via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Darren Stewart

Round 1
The resurgent Stewart prepares to take on the 21 year-old undefeated Shahbazyan. Mark Smith is the referee. They touch gloves to start and set up in matching orthodox boxing stances. Referee Smith warns Shahbazyan twice about his extended fingers within the first 30 seconds. Shahbazyan ducks under a punch, shoots through Stewart’s hips and gets a takedown. Stewart gets to his feet but Shahbazyan is tenacious, latching onto his back and wrapping Stewart’s waist. An extended sequence of jockeying for position against the fence ends with Stewart escaping, and they separate with 90 seconds left. Shahbazyan again collapses the distance and clinches with Stewart against the fence, appearing to want the takedown again. Stewart shucks him off and catches him with a punch coming in. Stewart appears rocked but throws back, then times Stewart and hauls him to the floor again, where he is working to pass against the fence when the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 Shahbazyan
Jay Pettry scores the round 10-9 Shahbazyan
Jordan Colbert scores the round 10-9 Shahbazyan

Round 2
The middleweights open up by exchanging on the feet until about a minute in, when Shahbazyan drops levels for a deep single. Stewart defends against the fence and once again offers his back. Shahbazyan pivots to the front and grabs a guillotine, but can’t secure it. Halfway through the round, Shahbazyan has Stewart against the fence, throwing knees at his left leg. Stewart turns into Shahbazyan, prompting the younger fighter to try a double-leg, then turns his back again. With a minute and a half left, Shahbazyan gets Stewart to his knees and sinks a hook almost like a folkstyle wrestling ride. He sinks the hook fully, then a body triangle, while fishing for a choke. Stewart escapes to his feet and they finish the round as they spent it: with Shahbazyan on Stewart’s back against the cage.

Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 Shahbazyan
Jay Pettry scores the round 10-9 Shahbazyan
Jordan Colbert scores the round 10-9 Shahbazyan

Round 3
In the third round, it takes only 50 seconds before Shahbazyan tries his first takedown. It looks like rinse-and-repeat of the first two rounds, but Stewart breaks, turns and smashes Shahbazyan with an elbow. Shahbazyan is visibly rocked and tries to grab hold of Stewart as Stewart tries to tee off, but Shahbazyan manages to recover his wits and halfway through the round they’re back to the fence. With two minutes left, Smith breaks them up and they reset. Shahbazyan looks either tired or rocked and Stewart drops him with a right. Stewart follows him down, throwing desperately, but can’t seem to land the kill shot. Shahbazyan is exhausted, but manages to get back to his feet, where he secures yet another takedown. They end the fight, fittingly, against the fence with Shahbazyan holding on to Stewart’s waist.

Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 Stewart (29-28 Shahbazyan)
Jay Pettry scores the round 10-9 Stewart (29-28 Shahbazyan)
Jordan Colbert scores the round 10-9 Stewart (29-28 Shahbazyan)

The Official Result
Edmen Shahbazyan def. Darren Stewart via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)