Kevin Holland reveals he messaged his mom moments before his UFC 287 walkout: “Should I even be f**king fighting?”
Kevin Holland revealed he was having second thoughts moments before making his walkout at last night’s UFC 287 event.
Holland (23-9 MMA) squared off with Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-7 MMA) on the main card of last night’s pay-per-view event in Miami.
‘Trailblazer’ had entered the bout with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid, this after dropping back-to-back stoppage losses to opponents Stephen Thompson and Khamzat Chimaev in his most previous efforts.
Standing in the way of Holland’s return to the win column was the hard-hitting Argentine in Ponzinibbio.
The bout proved to be a back-and-forth affair, with ‘Trailblazer’ earning a late knockdown in Round 1 thanks to a nifty spinning back fist. ‘Ponz’ was able to survive that early scare but was eventually put away for good in Round 3 after Holland connected with a big left hook (see that here).
Although the fight ultimately resulted in the most ideal outcome, Kevin Holland revealed at the post-fight press conference that he was having second thoughts about competing just moments before his walkout.
“To knock him out was pretty cool,” Holland told reporters (h/t MMAJunkie). “I didn’t go in there with intentions to hit him with the right hand. We actually threw the right hand in the back, and it was my first time putting on little gloves. I hit the pad and I was like, ‘Damn, that sh*t hurts.’ To remind you, I did break it. That didn’t feel good. I actually messaged my mom right before I went out there like, ‘Man, should I even be f*cking fighting?’ She’s like, ‘I told you to stay home.’ I’m glad I didn’t listen to mom this time.”
When asked if his injury would prevent him from competing anytime soon, Kevin Holland responded with the following assessment.
“I think I need a couple more months of smart recovery and stuff like that before I jump back inside the cage. Fighting International Fight Week probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do, but sh*t, I’d probably fight in a month if it was Michael Chiesa.”
Who would you like to see Kevin Holland fight next following his TKO victory over Santiago Ponzinibbio at last night’s UFC 287 event in Miami?
