“It’ll be nice to see him do the alligator thing and all that,” he said. “I’ll crack a few jokes, and I’ll smile real hard. No matter what, we’re having a good time.”
As Holland threatens to climb the rankings, it begs the question whether he’ll pursue the same kind of frequency that has unlocked many of his opportunities in the UFC. The higher up fighters go, they often find fewer fights available that make sense for their career. Holland, naturally, pushes back against that possibility and jokes that he’d move up or down in weight to keep his schedule busy.
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He does recognize his rising profile, however, making a point to get the attention of middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who was in attendance during his most recent fight. Holland is wary of getting too far ahead of himself and is well-aware of the threats Souza presents, particularly on the ground. Yet despite Souza’s decorated submission record, Holland isn’t scared to hit the mat with the Brazilian, much to his coach’s chagrin.
“I don’t know how else to say it, but I love the f***ing fact that I’m fighting Jacare,” Holland said. “My coach doesn’t want me to go to the ground and play down there because he’s like, ‘You can just take the fight out on the feet.’ Unless Jacare agrees he’s going to do some type of jiu-jitsu match against my coach Travis Lutter, we can easily go to the freaking ground.”
When Holland makes the walk to the Octagon, it’ll be his fifth in seven months and, in 2021, he hopes to fight six or seven times. It’s that attitude which has won him fans, but not exclusively. His performances have made noise, as well, and as the demand increases, Holland is more than happy to continue providing the high-quality supply.
“Ain’t nothing like a cage party,” he said. “When Kevin Holland is in that cage party, the cage party gets poppin’.”
