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In the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Emmett, Kevin Holland submitted Tim Means with D’Arce choke to extend his winning run at welterweight. Interestingly, both fighters made a pact during the bout to avoid stomping each other's knees.
During the post-fight press conference, Holland was asked about what he and Means were talking about mid-fight, to which he answered:
“It’s just a little thing, you know? I went to stomp on the thigh. Usually, I try to hit the knee and I told him I would avoid the knee and he said he would do the same, so overall just good stuff.”
Watch Kevin Holland at the post-fight presser below:
Holland made his UFC welterweight debut earlier this year when he finished Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira at UFC 272. 'Trailblazer' has looked like a fighter reborn since dropping down to 170 pounds and he's now on the verge of breaking into the rankings.
What’s next for Kevin Holland?
Now 2-0 at 170 pounds, Kevin Holland will be eyeing a place in the welterweight rankings. At the post-fight press conference following his win over Tim Means, the 29-year-old Houston native called for a fight against No.9-ranked Sean Brady, but reiterated that he will accept whoever the UFC offers him.
“I mean, I really don’t care. Sean Brady called my name, so if they want me to fight Sean Brady, I’ll take Sean Brady. It’s whatever UFC wants. They want me to fight a f***ing whale, I’ll fight a whale. They want me to fight a pig, I’ll fight a pig. Hell, they want me to fight my own chicken, I’ll go down there fight my own chicken. Whatever you guys want.”
Holland made a name for himself in 2020, winning five fights to break into the rankings at middleweight. Subsequently, he came up on the short end of back-to-back unanimous decision losses to Marvin Vettori and Derek Brunson, prompting the move down to welterweight.
In the fights against Vettori and Brunson, Holland was thoroughly outwrestled. Sean Brady is one of the best grapplers at 170 pounds, and it appears as though 'Traillblazer' wants to display his improved defensive wrestling and break into the top 10 with another statement-making win.
