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Kevin Holland believes Israel Adesanya's abilities as a mixed martial artist should be reevaluated following his defeat to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.
The current Middleweight Champion moved up a weight class in an attempt to become the fifth UFC fighter to hold two division belts simultaneously. However, Adesanya could not get the job done against Blachowicz.
Speaking to MMA Junkie at a press conference ahead of his middleweight bout against Derek Brunson, Kevin Holland shared his opinion on The Last Stylebender.
"Yeah, I think that he, I think that he said he didn't try to put on weight, but I think that he put on weight. You know, it's like he may have come in at 200 pounds. I think that he did a normal weight cut like, you know, which was smart, it's a smart thing to do. Take it how you normally would take it, right?" said Kevin Holland.
"He looked a little slower than he normally does, right? Usually, he's faster than that. He didn't look as fast, am I wrong? I could be right here, right? He didn't look as fast as he normally does. He got beat in the striking aspect; he got beat in the grappling aspect. He got beat, you know," Kevin Holland analyzed.
The defeat to Blachowicz marked Adesanya's first negative result in his career as a mixed martial artist. But before competing in MMA, The Last Stylebender experienced some time in kickboxing and boxing.
Adesanya's record in professional boxing was 5-1, and an impressive 75-5 in kickboxing. Because of the few losses in each combat sport he has fought in, Kevin Holland understands that he can categorize Adesanya as a "true loser."
"In a lot of other sports, when you're a champion, and you lose, you're no longer the champion anymore. Granted, he went up a weight class, but sh*t, the dude lost, he's officially... Is there any other fighter right now that has done just about every combat sport and lost in every combat sport? Is there? So, I guess you can say he's a true loser," said Kevin Holland.
Kevin Holland's next fight
'Trailblazer' became a UFC sensation after fighting and winning five times during 2020, tying Roger Huerta and Neil Magny's record. He has promised to break the record again this year.
In order to reach that goal, Kevin Holland will first need to pass through Derek Brunson, his first opponent for this year. The two will lock horns against each other this Saturday at UFC Vegas 22.
While Holland comes into the fight with five consecutive victories, Brunson does not know what losing feels like since 2018, when Israel Adesanya defeated him.
