Kevin Holland will face Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302 right before the five-round co-main event between Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland.
Many, including Weighing In hosts John McCarthy and Josh Thompson, believe that this fight is important for Holland to reassure the UFC about his prowess as a title contender and that he’s not just a gatekeeper in the welterweight division.
Although Holland is on a two-fight losing streak, this isn’t the first time he’s been in this situation. In the UFC, he’s previously lost consecutively to Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori but came back with a KO win over Alex Oliviera.
Then, he again lost two fights in a row against Khamzat Chimaev and Stephen Thompson, but returned with a KO win over Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Ahead of UFC 302, Holland finds himself in a similar situation as he’s lost to Jack Della Maddalena and Michael Venom Page, and here’s what the Weighing In podcast hosts believe he should do to bounce back.
John McCarthy Claims Kevin Holland Is A ‘Problem For Everyone’
While discussing the UFC 302 card on his podcast, “Big” John McCarthy had all the praise for Holland,who is easily one of the most active fighters in the UFC roster.
McCarthy agreed that Holland is tough and can create problems for anyone inside the Octagon, and that “MVP” wasn’t an ideal matchup for him in many ways.
“Kevin Holland, he’s a problem for everyone. He’s in that position. Against MVP, I thought he would end up having a problem and everyone does, because they don’t realize how fast Michal is.
“Oleksiejczuk, I love the guy. He’s tough as hell. He is just a grinding monster. I don’t think he can beat Kevin Holland”
While McCarthy seemed confident about Holland being the better fighter, Thomson was more concerned about the impact of a losing streak on a fighter. The former UFC fighter explained how each loss adds to the mental burden and even someone like Holland could be affected by it.
“Losing to Jack Della Maddalena and ‘MVP.’ Now you’re fighting another guy who’s got a good chin, who likes to put the pressure. But one of my points is, though, that two losses in a row, you start thinking, ‘I’ve never lost three in a row. If I lose this, will they cut me?’ Those are the things that start going through your mind.
“In a fighter’s mind, you’re thinking to yourself. Three in a row, man, after three, it could be four, and then you really start thinking.”
Both Thomson and McCarthy then agreed on the fact that the UFC is unlikely to cut Holland even if he loses to Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302 – something we can likely all agree on too.
- Read More: Coach Explains Why Fans Will See A ‘Different’ Paulo Costa In ‘People’s Main Event’ At UFC 302
