LAS VEGAS – Kevin Holland has established himself as an anytime, any place, anyone sort of fighter, but grew tired of Jack Della Maddalena’s campaigning for a matchup at UFC 293 in Sydney.
Had he been formally offered the matchup in that location, Holland (25-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC) indicated he would’ve taken it – if the promotion paid for taxes. The two welterweight contenders will instead square off one week later, at Saturday’s Noche UFC at T-Mobile Arena.
“Be realistic. Do you think I wouldn’t go somewhere to fight somebody?” Holland said to reporters including MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “… Bro, my second fight with the UFC was where? Nah, it was in China. Do your homework, my boy. So why wouldn’t I go? If they cover my taxes, I’ll go anywhere. I’m pretty sure if they really wanted me to fight in Australia, they would’ve covered the taxes. I wasn’t asked to fight in Australia. I was asked to fight in Vegas when the fight fell out with Kelvin Gastelum and old boy, and I’m here in Vegas.”
“Old boy keeps crying about not being able to fight in Australia. Motherf*cker, if you were worth somebody coming out to Australia to fight you, they would’ve made sure somebody came to Australia to fight you. You’ve got a Timex sponsorship. Be happy with that and shut the f*ck up. Bam. My bad. See, y’all are getting me in that zone. I’m trying not to go there.”
The semi-fiery answer from Holland was really the only time during his media availability he delved into the trash talk. He declined questions about future fights or title shots, only focused on the task at hand. Even though he’s on a two-fight winning streak, Holland is containing his confidence ahead of Noche UFC.
“I don’t need to do that too much because if I start to think about that too much I start to get a little cocky and big-headed,” Holland said. “It’s best to always feel like you’re coming off a loss, two losses at that. It’s like your back is against the wall and you might get kicked out of the organization. You’re just doing your best to f*cking stay here at all times.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.
