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Kevin Holland has nothing but respect for Alex Oliveria after their bout at UFC 272. He secured a TKO victory against Oliveira on the night, making a successful welterweight debut in the UFC.
Holland uploaded a picture with Oliveira on Instagram and thanked him for the fight. Also grateful to the UFC, 'Trailblazer' wrote in the caption:
"Appreciate the scrap OG @alexcowboyoficial ✊🏾 Thank you @ufc for letting me get back to the good wining ways in front of a fantastic crowd much love Vegas"
Kevin Holland and Alex Oliveira delivered an absolute barnburner for as long as their bout lasted. While both fighters went toe-to-toe from the opening bell, Oliveira likely won the first round after landing multiple takedowns. Holland floored the Brazilian in the opening seconds of the second round and continued his onslaught until referee Chris Tognoni stepped in at 0:38 of the round.
Holland won all five of his UFC outings in 2020 and was even named MMA Junkie's 'Fighter of the Year'. His scintillating run came to a halt against Derek Brunson in 2021, as the MMA veteran schooled him on the ground en route to a dominant decision win.
Holland's weak wrestling fundamentals were further exposed in a similar defeat against Marvin Vettori in his next outing. An accidental clash of heads led to his next bout against Kyle Daukaus being deemed a no contest. The American will be happy to return to the win column following his triumphant UFC welterweight debut.
Kevin Holland's post-fight call-out
After his win over Alex Oliveira, Kevin Holland hinted at a matchup against Donald Cerrone, claiming he'd be willing to take on another 'Cowboy'. However, Holland later retracted his words and named another potential opponent.
Holland, at the post-fight press conference, claimed that he wasn't seriously calling out Cerrone but would like to take on 'Cowboy's' protégé Daniel Rodriguez. The 29-year-old reporters:
"I was just throwing up stupid sh*t [referring to the Donald Cerrone call-out]. I be just talking. I think the other ‘Cowboy’ and me should not fight, to be honest with you. I think I should be fighting Daniel Rodriguez next, just because last time I called out ‘Cowboy,’ Daniel Rodriguez hopped in my inbox and was like, ‘Yo, don’t do that. That’s my OG.’ So respect to both of those guys."
Watch Kevin Holland's appearance at the UFC 272 post-fight presser below:
