LAS VEGAS – Kevin Holland doesn’t plan on slowing down.
MMA Junkie’s 2020 “Fighter of the Year,” Holland (21-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is days away from his first fight of the new year when he takes on Derek Brunson at UFC on ESPN 21 this Saturday. The fight will be Holland’s first UFC main event, his first accolade of 2021 after a fruitful 2020.
“I was the man,” Holland told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I was happy with all the accolades, all the accomplishments and stuff like that I got. That was amazing. I’ve been following MMA Junkie for a long time. So to get ‘Fighter of the Year’ from MMA Junkie, that felt amazing. To get ‘Fighter of the Year’ from a couple of other organizations, that felt amazing.”
One year ago, Holland was scheduled to fight Jack Marshman on the prelims of a UFC card in London that eventually was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast forward 12 months, and he’s within striking distance of the UFC’s middleweight top five. It’s been a crazy journey for the fighter out of Texas.
“2020 was amazing. 2021 has the potential to be even better,” Holland said. “(In) 2020, I was supposed to fight this same month in London against Jack Marshman. Now, I’m fighting somebody (in the) top 10 in the UFC middleweight division. Granted, it’s for 25 freaking minutes. Hopefully I finish him in two because I’m not trying to fight that long. Yeah, it’s amazing. Dude, it’s amazing. Look how far we’ve come in a year.”
Holland had three months to sit back and reflect on his recent string of success, which might not seem like much time. However, Holland competed five times in the final seven months of 2020. Combine that with the fact he’s had to increase his training in anticipation of a potential 25 minutes vs. Brunson, and Holland’s layoff seemed like an eternity to him.
“I don’t like the idea of fighting for 25 minutes,” Holland said. “Let’s just be real here: It’s like, you hear Derrick Lewis talking about it all the time. It’s not his idea of a fight. That’s just the truth. Nobody wants to fight for 25 minutes. Where I’m from, you’re lucky if they fight for two-and-a-half. Do you know what I mean? Twenty-five minutes is a very, very long time.”
Holland appreciates the social media following that comes with main event status. “Big Mouth,” as UFC president Dana White has deemed him, is not shy in the spotlight. Holland joked that perhaps co-main events will be his ideal placement on cards going forward.
“You can make me the co-main champ,” Holland said. “I don’t need a belt if I need to fight for 25 minutes. (UFC middleweight champion) Izzy (Israel Adesanya), you could keep your belt. If you really want to fight, we can fight as a co-main event. You won’t have to worry about losing another championship fight. There you go, bucko.”
So how does Holland keep, or even build upon, his momentum against Brunson (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC)? Holland said he won’t try to be exciting, flashy, and dominant. It’s just going to happen on its own.
“As long as I go out there and do what Kev does, it’s special,” Holland said. “It’s like, if you watch every fight that I’ve ever had: win, lose, draw, whatever the case may be, Kev goes out there and fights. Kev is Kev. Usually, you put me away when I’m tired. I’ve been putting in strength and conditioning and stuff lately. … We’ll take it how it comes. It doesn’t need to be devastating fashion. It doesn’t need to be, but it will be.”
UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.