UFC middleweight contender, Kevin Holland, addressed the media ahead of his co-main event matchup against Jack Della …
what’s up Kevin how are you good and yourself good man yeah you see me in good spirits like always uh talk to us what’s your mindset going in this uh fight week at Noche uh yeah uh really excited business is business and uh plan on going out there and handling business once again yeah yeah um this fight with Jack Della madalena I think this is a big fan favorite a lot of people have their eyes on this bout just curious is this somebody that you wanted to cross paths with or just a fight that came about talk to us about this this matchup yeah well you know Buckley was banging for it and I can’t let my son have anything without my permission so I went and took it first yeah so it wasn’t really about Jack it was about not letting Buckley get it no I do like the way Jack fights I’ve seen him when uh him and Randy Brown fought and I was like uh kind of got me intrigued a little bit so just excited to go out there and uh you know test him test myself and ultimately you know businesses business handle some business yeah there’s obviously uh paints to be like a striking about uh what have you made of his his boxing skills are you a fan of like what he’s been doing oh yeah most definitely you know it’s like uh sometimes when you watch a guy fight it’s like it’s hard to continue to watch their fights like the last fight he has to you know doing my studying and I had to keep watching his fights and it’s like I just started doing this whole little new study thing you know and it’s like um he has to fight for like I was like I don’t want to watch this you know it’s like I’m not really big on the grappling uh but you know I gotta do what you got to do yeah so I watch kiesta while I’m on the because you know I’m not gonna fall asleep I’m on the shooter um Jack though you know it’s like he could watch Jack in between playing video games while on the I even watch Jack in the shower so you know me and Jack are pretty well acquainted right now this is another fight at wilted right after your last fight uh you had said that maybe you were gonna move up to 185 so can it’s safe to say you’re sticking at 170. it’s never safe to say anything with Kevin Holland but uh you know I’d be uh be down for what for whatever and whenever uh whatever they give me to be honest with you if they gave me 85 fights you know I’d be fighting 85 but it seems like uh I’m getting 170 pound fights right now so I’ll take whatever they give me I just want to get paid where do you feel like your best versions at 185 or 170. I mean I’m more serious at 170 because you have to be serious if you want to make the weight right uh uh but God damn I was pretty good at 85 too right I did some freaking so you know it’s like uh I think it depends you know it’s like you let the UFC video game tell you and it’s like it seems like I’m better at 170 than 85. you know it’s like it’s crazy by the way what’d you make of uh arasani’s title lost to Strickland wow you know it’s like I think Strickland did a good job but overall every time I bash Izzy up here it’s like uh The Narrative of it changes and I get all kind of online so how about we just focus on Kevin Holland today sure thank you and I spoke to you in Miami and I had asked you your thoughts about uh this I guess expected title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington and since you already fought and you’re about to log in your second fight and that fight still hasn’t been made um what are your thoughts on kind of the belt not being active at this point in time at 170. uh you know it doesn’t really bother me I’m not really the guy looking for a belt I’m just looking to stay active and I’m looking to fight anybody and everybody you know what I mean it’s like uh I I like how I get paid and uh the way I get paid is to show up and you know to win fights you know so I show up win fights do the contract assassinate the person in front of me collect my checks go on to the next one so I just look just look forward to keep fighting just fight as much as possible I don’t concern myself with belts whatsoever you know it’s like guys are fighting for a title they’re no longer in my uh in my vision anymore my glasses can’t see them um why why are you not focused on the Bell like why is that something that doesn’t why are you guys so focused on the belt all the time well excuse my language but why are you so focused on the bill I just told you I’m not worried about the belt and you go back and repeat ask me about the belt like I’m not worried about the belt why are you so worried about the belt you don’t even fight for a living why are you so worried about the belt well I’m not worried I’m not I don’t I’m not worried about it either why are you so worried about it that’s why I’m asking I’m not worried about it that’s that’s that’s the ultimate answer you need I’m not worried about it why are you so worried about it well I don’t you say you you know you want the big paid days that comes the pay-per-view points and whatnot so you would assume that maybe I’m already getting pay-per-view points maybe you don’t know right sure true all right all right lastly uh have you brushed up your Spanish at all ahead of uh UFC a little bit not good enough yet though still working on it I think I’m getting one of those little things that go and uh uh the little thing you know and it repeats the words over and over again I think yeah I think I’ll be able to understand it like that it’s like it’s like I get a word down packed and then I uh I go and start doing and I forget it you know and it’s like I hate that I really wish I could like retain it you know it’s like probably need to smoke last week good luck in the fight and good luck with the classes as well thank you jumping over here obviously last week’s Main Event Scott mentioned you’re one of the few people that picked Strickland to win on your podcast how do you see this this weekend’s main event going uh man dude I don’t really like talking about people that can beat me up I don’t feel like neither one of those guys could beat me up so I talked about him but Grosso and chachinko whoop my ass so I’m gonna leave those two alone but uh you know it’s like I like seeing Grosso as a champ uh and I think you know Valentina was a great champ for a very long time it’s just it’s nothing wrong with a new new brush to win you know but I I don’t want to get my ass whooped so props off to those ladies I hope they have a wonderful fight awesome and uh what’s it like having some momentum going into this one right you have that win over Ponzi nibbia in April and then the one over kiss and giant maybe potentially another one in September you know what I don’t think too much too like I don’t need to do that too much because you know it’s like if I think about that too much I’m starting to get a little cocky and big-headed you know it’s like uh it’s best to feel like you’re always coming off a loss two losses at that because then you know it’s like you’re back against the wall and you might get kicked out of the organization so you’re just you’re just doing your best to stay here at all times you know I know I mean fair enough you mentioned that you were on a two fight skid last year and you you turned that around how was that transition like as you’re now in a two fight streak yeah it does it always feels good to be winning and it you know it’s nice to have a number next to the name because you know like the fans be like oh well he does have a number next to his name so that you know it’s nice to make the fans happy because my I love my fans uh but ultimately you know to turn it around I think you know I got Shook Back full time I think that’s big I got Eric Sands as a wrestling coach full-time I think that’s pretty big and then consistency is key I’m just I’m very consistent now that I got my own little spot you know it’s a little hole in the wall but it’s cool it works for me it works for the guys that go there and uh you know I enjoy it you know Malik Malik Lewis he fought the other night Contender Series right it’s like uh it’s like the kid came to the spot you know it was getting good work you know it’s like I don’t think he was really winning any rounds against anybody that’s there with us you know we don’t have a whole bunch of bodies but it’s like he was getting good work there we went to Houston we got good work and then he came home and he stopped coming you know it’s like we gave him a little love on the media said he was going to do good in this fight but I said he’s gonna do good in this fight if he stuck with us he didn’t stick with us you see what happened it’s like you you got to find a place that feels good you know it’s like I found a place that feels good you know it’s like my coaches do a good job over there and it’s like the few people that are there are serious as and I think that’s to change the skid around you know and uh speaking about the people around you your good friend turns McKinney’s here with you F31 his last fight he mentioned how special it was for him to have guys like you and Jamal Hill supporting him the way you guys do how’s it like having turns by your side oh dude it’s great uh he’s sitting over right now look at him look at him it’s annoying bro look at this look at them I’m trying to tell you my boy yeah look he’s looking at everybody look at it look he’s like oh my gosh yeah Terence is annoying but that’s definitely my little bro you know it’s like um different daddies different moms but we’re definitely Brothers for sure for sure yeah it’s like it’s hard to explain perfect timing there and another one from me you like to kind of alter your walk out sometimes I mean is there going to be a special theme for this weekend’s walkout being nacho UFC nah probably not to be honest with you guys uh I really really was gonna I was looking for songs bro I was looking for songs that like touched me on the inside and stuff like that but I don’t understand Spanish enough to be like completely drove by some of the songs that I did hear that I liked because I didn’t know exactly what they were saying and I was like what if he’s saying something that’s like not good you know so it was like uh one of those things and then I started listening to Mexican OT because he’s a Houston boy you know what I mean yeah I see you guys know what’s up and his shit’s Fire book I think a cowboy killer or something like that it’s just a little bit too much for uh for Fox and stuff like that you know what I mean I don’t want to do that to the people back to young boy then no no young boy I’ve been I I’m too into a young boy I think I’m gonna stop Taking Chances with young boy but uh if you ever see me riding down the street and there’s a lot of smoke inside the car it’s too bad it’s tobacco guys it’s nothing else and I’m going like this real hard I’m listening to young boy for sure demon time and the last one for me what’s the message you have for all the Trailblazer fans from all around the world they’re gonna watch your fight uh uh Boko uh uh Grande Boca I’m it up see I told you I’d be forgetting and I tell y’all hey shout out to all my people that supported me yeah I appreciate y’all awesome thank you thank you you gotta go with Selena you can’t you can’t mess with Selena walkout song I’m gonna leave that to the women for sure for sure you know Selena’s from Texas too right Beyonce is too right good point all the fine ass bomb ass great ass musicians that are women are from Texas you know everything’s bigger and better in Texas yeah Hey Kevin um was this fight ever offered you uh offered to you at for UFC 293 in Sydney do you really think that I wouldn’t go to Sydney like like be realistic you think I wouldn’t go somewhere to fight somebody probably not but I don’t know like Australia is a far-ast flat uh flight bro my second fight with the UFC was where no I was in China do your homework my boy you know what I mean so why wouldn’t I go they cover my taxes I’ll go anywhere and I’m pretty sure you know if they really wanted me to fight in Australia they would have covered the taxes you get what I’m saying I wasn’t asked to fight an Australia film I was asked to fight in Vegas when the fight fell out with Kelvin gasliminal boy and I’m here in Vegas oh boy keeps crying about not being able to fight in Australia if you was worth somebody coming out there to Australia to fight you they would have made sure somebody came to Australia to fight you you got a Time make sponsorship be happy with that shut the up bam my bad see y’all get me in that zone I’m trying not to go there um you’re fighting fight in front of crowds your last six fights is gonna be your seventh fight um for your next like is there anywhere that that you really want to fight in front of like do you want like a Houston Houston card yeah for sure for sure I would love a Houston card I love an H-Town card you know what I mean keep building my name and maybe something magical happens in Houston be honest with you it’s like um I could probably even get them a discount but I would love to I would love to fight at the Cowboy Stadium at least one time Cowboy stadium and at the rocket spot I’d be happy yeah um he said he’s gonna come out and fight Mexican style um that’s what’s up do you uh I mean how do you kind of see this fight going down like I don’t like obviously people will say oh you know take Kevin down blah blah but he’s uh he gets taken down right so like do you think this is going to be a stand-up war or you think it’s gonna be more like like a mixed martial arts fight yeah it’s it’s gonna be a mixed martial arts fight it’s he’s not vulnerable he doesn’t get the credit or the respect that he deserves to uh make me fight one Pacific Way just be a mixed martial arts fight he does certain things to leave opportunity for other things he doesn’t do those things it leads opportunity for other things overall I’m gonna take what the defense gives me and his defense gives me a lot of you dig I feel you uh and finally obviously trailblade Trailblazers is your nickname but by the end of your career are you going to change it to Big Mouth or or is that just your love is that just your tbdm baby TV BM Trailblazer Big Mouth from everything it’s finally combined thank you Kevin right here I’m gonna ask you you mentioned OT earlier what’s your favorite song of his uh right now is the the uh the cowboy killer that go hard yeah I’m saying lately I’ve been yeah there she go hard my bad John yeah excuse me I’m sorry I gotta I gotta ask you two what’s your top three top five uh artists right now ah top three top five man you know what young boys up there on the list because you know young boys always dropping some the boy be going crazy little baby every time he good on something it’s just they go hard and then overall I’m a big fan of the baby because his music videos is just wild I don’t know everybody saying he fell off but I’m a the baby fan I like the baby the baby the baby the baby okay I like that so young boy a little baby and the baby so the babies got it wrapped up and the young boy helps them out is to your your Instagram page has got a lot of memes on it favorite kind of memes uh uh shh uh you know what my favorite time to do memes was when I was fighting Bronson that was golden I ain’t even gonna lie to you yeah I mean like he would respond he’d drop a meme I’d drop a meme just like going back and forth and so that was pretty fun other times I just kind of feel like I’m picking on people it’s not good all right but thanks no problem Kevin one last one for me I mean we’ve seen live entrances with artists in like boxing and where Fighters come out with the live if you were to ever do that maybe would you is there a specific artist you’d like to do that with uh no because I always think it sounds like crap when they do that you know it’s like if I’m being real but like if I had to choose somebody it probably wouldn’t be nobody on my top three it’d probably be sauce you know I mean sauce Walka because sauce Walka just begin wow you know what I mean so yeah probably sauce yeah he’s hype okay I can imagine that thank you Hey Kevin over here a couple fun ones uh what’s your favorite Mexican food uh carne asada fries I live for carne asada fries light uh light beans light guac you know what I mean and uh no onions whatsoever so no no pico de gallo taco trucks yay or nay oh yeah for sure for sure yeah yeah I never I’ll be honest with you I never had a taco truck that was bad you know I mean I had a taco truck that made me but I never had a taco truck that was bad final question can you dance salsa uh you know what I mean I could do a little thumbs up depends on what’s in front of me thank you no problem is that right oh sweet thank you