UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland will continue to talk throughout his fights.
Kevin Holland knows he has to make a few slight changes following his unanimous decision loss to Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22, but there is one thing he will not change: talking throughout his fights.
Holland is well-known for talking to his opponents, so it came as no surprise to see him doing that against Brunson, but it began to wear thin as the fight continued and it appeared he had no answer for the gameplan of his opponent. Brunson took Holland down repeatedly and kept him there for the majority of the fight, but that did not dissuade him from talking any less.
Holland was and still is being criticized for this because it seemed as though he was more focused on talking than fighting. He has since responded to the criticism on social media and sent a clear message to anyone who wants him to keep quiet through his fights.
“We’re a little beat up, but never gonna stop talking,” said Holland. “If you guys don’t [expletive] like it, deuces.”
In a follow-up post, Holland also addressed the way in which he lost the fight to Brunson. He understands that his takedown defense needs some work, which he plans on dealing with when he resumes training in the upcoming week.
“You guys are going crazy,” Holland continued. “I never said you guys were wrong, I was about to tell you guys to chill out. But, at the end of the day, step that [expletive] up. The more criticism, the better. Get it out of your system because on the next one, I’ll be back.”
In his return to the Octagon, Holland mentioned on the ESPN post-fight show that it could be at welterweight instead of middleweight. Throughout his UFC tenure, Holland has competed solely in the middleweight division, but he is no stranger to welterweight as he started his professional career at 170 pounds.
Holland expressed interest in a fight with Belal Muhammad, who had his most recent fight against Leon Edwards end in a No Contest after an accidental eye poke. Holland said the fight makes sense because they are both coming off of losses, so he would like to see it be made in the near future.