Tag: Kevin Holland

UFC middleweight Kevin Holland is one of the most unique fighters on the promotion’s roster. We have certainly seen competitors come and go in the past who were company men to the highest degree, willing to step in and fight every weekend of the year if their bodies, and the athletic commissions allowed it, but the middleweight contender is different.

He has received some criticism in the past for being overly relaxed in fights and not taking things serious enough with the debate that if he really focused on being the best version of himself that he can possibly be, he could achieve more. Ultimately, Holland just wants to fight as much as possible in order to make as much money as possible.

Whether its his record-tying year in 2020 where he produced five wins inside the Octagon or his attitude to losing, it has always been clear that “Trailblazer” isn’t someone who is focused on one big finish line that he is pursuing. He recently spoke about this ahead of his return at UFC 311 this Saturday night where he takes on Reinier de Ridder.

Unlike someone like his opponent who wants to continue working his way up the middleweight ladder in order to compete at the very top of the sport, Holland is a prize fighter at heart and though the UFC title is a big shiny goal to strive for, he isn’t overly concerned with adding a belt to his trophy cabinet. In fact, he’s more motivated to break the promotion’s record for most fights which is currently held by the still active Jim Miller.

The 32-year old recently told ESPN that even if he did find himself in position for a shot at the title, he doesn’t know whether he would take it because it could interfere with his plans and cause him complications.

“There are too many politics that come with being a world champion,” he said. “I don’t need it. I never came to the UFC to fight for a world title. I came to get paid. I’ve talked to fighters who are world champions and ones who aren’t. I found out what some were making and how often they were competing. I wouldn’t make that much more fighting as a world champion, and I’d have to fight less often than I do now. It doesn’t make financial sense to me.”

Kevin Holland has received criticism in the past for being too relaxed and not focused enough in some big fights. This was particularly a talking point following two back-to-back losses that he suffered in consecutive months back in 2021.

2020 was a massive year for “Trailblazer” who despite the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, was able to tie the record for the most UFC wins in a calendar year with five. This earned him his first main event against Derek Brunson and shortly after a one-sided defeat, he jumped right into another five-round spotlight and was beaten by Marvin Vettori after replacing Darren Till.

Ahead of his return at UFC 311 this Saturday, Holland appeared on Demetrious Johnson’s MightyCast where he spoke about his weed-smoking habits and how he is able to compete at a high level despite this. Holland certainly isn’t the only UFC fighter who has to be careful depending on the rules of the athletic commissions due to his daily routines.

He told Johnson about how he looked to change his regular patterns ahead of his fight with Brunson because he had some anxiety regarding how his smoking could affect his performance. After losing that fight, he went back on the adjustments, telling “Mighty Mouse” that having accepted the Vettori fight on just nine days notice, it made sense to continue smoking throughout fight week.

“The Marvin Vettori fight, I was high as a kite,” Holland said. “Not during the fight, but all week, I was high as a kite. Five rounds didn’t feel like shit that time. The Derek Brunson fight, I was all worried, I was like, damn bro, I’m not going to smoke that much because I have five rounds, so I don’t want to be f*cking with my lungs. First time doing five rounds in a UFC fight, it could go that long, he wants to wrestle and stuff, so I was like, I’m not going to do that. Then I was like, I stressed myself out for no reason, I still lost the f*cking fight.

“So then after the next one, I was like, I’m just going to smoke. So they gave me Marvin Vettori at the last second, I was partying and everything. I didn’t feel any different. The pace got to be pushed, a lot of times when you’ve got five rounds, they don’t push the pace, I don’t push the pace, we’re just chilling.”