LAS VEGAS – Nearly four years into his UFC run, Kevin Holland is making a move to the welterweight division, and it’s a change he admits should have already been done.
At Wednesday’s media day session at the UFC Apex, Holland said he was considering the change prior to a March 2021 loss to Derek Brunson but didn’t pull the trigger, instead accepting a short-notice fight against Marvin Vettori, which he also lost, as well as a matchup with Kyle Daukaus in which he was submitted but was ruled a no contest when instant replay noticed a damaging clash of heads prior to the finish.
“It’s something I should have did a long time ago,” Holland said. “I had goals with my team. I was like, ‘Hey, if I win the Brunson fight,’ you know? I was like, ‘We’re going to win the Brunson fight.’ I didn’t have no doubt about that whatsoever. I was like, ‘Man, I can drink three Cokes and get off the couch and whoop this fool’s ass.’ It didn’t go like that.”
Prior to the setbacks, Holland had won five consecutive fights, all in the 2020 calendar year. Three of those wins earned “Performance of the Night” bonuses, and with his stock riding high, he thought a welterweight move would give him a quick shot at a belt.
“I was going to go to 170, right, because my name was in a good spot,” Holland said. “Go to ’70, only have to cut weight a few times, get to fight the champ, get to see what happens there. Get to go back up, get to be that guy, something superstar or something mega. I thought too far ahead, you know what I mean?”
Instead, Holland (21-7 MMA, 8-4 UFC) will make the move down 15 pounds for Saturday night’s UFC 272 event, which streams live on ESPN+ pay-per-view from T-Mobile Arena. There, he takes on Brazilian veteran Alex Oliveira (22-11-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC).
While cutting down to 170 pounds is an unfamiliar process for Holland so far in his UFC run, he says the process hasn’t been too difficult thus far.
“I mean, if I was stuck in the hotel the whole time, it probably would have sucked, but I’m able to move around a little bit, so not too bad,” Holland said. “I had an Airbnb set up before I got here, so I got the video game plugged in, so I’m enjoying the trip so far. I can’t complain.”
How Holland’s body will respond to the new weight class, where has competed previously in his professional career, remains to be seen, especially in competition at the highest level. That said, Holland said he’s feeling comfortable thus far and believes he should be a little quicker without the extra weight.
“I mean, I do feel a little faster,” Holland said. “I mean, it’s like a good vehicle. You know, if you’ve got a good car, you put good oil in there and good gas in there, so on and so forth, right? I feel like I’m putting the good stuff in the car, so I feel like the car performs a lot better. I definitely feel faster. I definitely feel I’m lighter, so I should be faster. I got less butt back there, but I still pack a good punch, so I’m excited about it.”
