SALT LAKE CITY – “Call Big Mouth.”
That’s a phrase that’s been uttered and promoted by Kevin Holland throughout his career. If the UFC calls, Holland (26-11 MMA, 13-8 UFC) is usually on the other side of the line, agreeing to whatever is presented.
“I’m an active motherf*cker,” told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC 307 news conference Wednesday at the athlete host hotel. “At the end of the day it’s like I did a little electrical work before. My grandma and grandpa owned a janitorial business. So I understood the 9-to-5 and clocking in hours and getting done with the job to get paid.”
Holland has competed 11 times in the past three years, making him the most active fighter on the promotion’s roster during that stretch. With fighter pay a hot topic, Holland pushed back against complaints.
“Half these people are running around talking about, ‘We don’t get paid enough. We don’t get paid enough. We don’t get paid enough.’ You don’t fight enough,” Holland said. “At the end of the day, you want to get paid for sh*t you don’t do. F*cking sound like a bum to me. Just remember, I wasn’t the bum like the rest of these guys.”
At UFC 307 on Saturday at Delta Center, Holland takes on Roman Dolidze (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in a middleweight bout as the main card opener. The headlining bout features the second-most active fighter over the past three years, Alex Pereira, who has 10 bouts in that time.
“I had real jobs before this so I understand activity,” Holland said. “I understand going to work so I can pay my bills and I’ve got a lot of bills. Respect to Alex. Alex has done this and gotten the belt and stayed active. Lot of missions and they’re all successful missions. Me? I’m just active.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
