Kevin Holland has described his point of view as Michał Oleksiejczuk’s arm got bent out of shape at UFC 302 this past weekend.
On the main card of Saturday’s pay-per-view event at Newark’s Prudential Center, Holland made a short-notice return to middleweight three months on from a defeat to Michael “Venom” Page down at 170 pounds.
“Trailblazer” quickly returned to the win column, landing a submission victory over Oleksiejczuk that will no doubt go down as one of the most gruesome in recent memory.
Holland had the Polish fighter locked in an armbar for an extended period, with the limb appearing to either break or dislocate.
Holland On UFC 302 Armbar: ‘I’m Going To Have To Do A Full-Blown Break…’
During his post-fight press conference, Holland looked back on the finishing sequence of his clash with Oleksiejczuk, which came just over 90 seconds into the bout.
“Big Mouth” recalled hearing a quick pop of the arm, which wasn’t enough to draw a tap out of “Hussar.” Holland joked that responsibility for the injury lies with referee Herb Dean, who dismissed his initial calls to halt the fight before applying further pressure on Oleksiejczuk’s arm.
“Herb Dean’s fault. I asked him to stop it a little earlier, but Herb Dean was like, ‘You’ve got to go a little bit longer.’ Alright, cool, cool,” Holland said jokingly. “When I first put him in the armbar, I heard the pop. After that, it wasn’t popping again and I was like, I’m going to have to do a full-blown break. So I kept trying to do a little chihuahua scoot, get myself underneath there and then hit a good pull after that. But the guy is tough as nails.
“He hit me with a good shot. Tough guy… I fought John Phillips for my first UFC win, and I had a feeling he would be like John Phillips but better,” Holland continued. “I definitely want to win the fight because I like both of my checks, but (I wish) no harm to him. I hope he’s okay and I hope it’s truly not broken because he seemed to be a cool guy.”
The result marked Holland’s first victory since a first-round D’arce choke against Michael Chiesa at UFC 291 last July. Defeats to Jack Della Maddalena and Page subsequently halted his charge up the welterweight ladder.
Having rebounded up at 185 pounds, it remains to be seen which division will stage the 31-year-old’s Texan’s next outing. But given his penchant for high activity, it likely won’t be long until we find out.
Kevin Holland by first round submission!!!😤 #UFC302 | @Trailblaze2Top pic.twitter.com/exwJuGiwG2
— UFC (@ufc) June 2, 2024
