Michael Chiesa Names Kevin Holland's 'Best Attribute' Ahead Of UFC 291: 'It's Really Not The Skillset...'

The upcoming UFC 291 pay-per-view is widely being branded one of the most stacked lineups of the year to date, and a pair of prominent welterweights have been tasked with opening the main card.

On Saturday night, divisional veteran Michael Chiesa will look to defend his #12 place in the rankings opposite the always entertaining Kevin Holland. "Trailblazer" has gone 3-2 since dropping to 170 pounds last March, most recently knocking out Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Although his grappling deficiencies have been exposed in the past, with Khamzat Chimaev, Derek Brunson, and Marvin Vettori all getting the better of Holland on the ground, the formerly ranked middleweight has shown a strong standup game and has vowed improvement in his areas of weakness.

But ahead of this weekend's event in Salt Lake City, Utah, it's not Holland's skills that have Chiesa on alert.

Chiesa: Holland's Strength Doesn't Lie In His Abilities

During a recent fight week appearance on ESPN MMA's DC & RC show, Chiesa was asked to assess his opponent's strengths ahead of their showdown inside the Delta Center.

While he acknowledged some strong attributes with regards to Holland's mixed martial arts arsenal, he labeled the 30-year-old's mental toughness as his biggest weapon.

"You know, it's easy to talk about the Xs and Os with Kevin Holland. He's got a ferocious right hand, he's very, very long, he likes to use his sidekicks," Chiesa said. "But it's really not the skillset that I feel like is his best attribute. It's how game he is.

"This guy is a fighters' fighter. He's willing to go in there and scrap with anybody in any weight class at any time," Chiesa continued. "It makes it easy for him to implement his game. So it was very necessary for me to bring in long training partners."

Chiesa will hope to bypass Holland's best efforts come fight night on July 29 in pursuit of a much-needed rebound performance.

"Maverick" hasn't appeared in the Octagon since November 2021, when he was outpointed by the then-undefeated Sean Brady. Three months prior, Chiesa was submitted courtesy of a D'Arce choke versus Vicente Luque.