It’s safe to say Kevin Holland doesn’t shy away from the spotlight.
The 25-year old prospect will make his Bellator debut on Friday night and there’s nothing he’d like more than to get a highlight reel finish and then get even more eyeballs on him by what he says afterwards.
While it takes some fighters years to get comfortable competing in front of millions of people and then picking up a microphone to talk about it when the fight is finished, Holland embraces both aspects of the sport in that regard.
Holland is best known for his flashy style inside the cage where he’s rattled off wins in seven of his last eight fights including a TKO victory over Geoff Neal, who just recently picked up two victories on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series before getting a win in his UFC debut.
Holland has a 100-percent finishing rate in all of his wins including six by way of knockout or TKO. It’s a crowd pleasing style and that’s not by mistake because Holland always wants to put on a show every time he steps into the cage.
“I want to put people out cold. I’ll settle for a finish but I like a cold-blooded finish,” Holland said when speaking to MMAWeekly. “It’s nice to put somebody out, especially when you get to do it on TV.”
As much as Holland embraces the spotlight, he also promises that he’s fighting for all the right reasons. The fame and money are certainly benefits of his career but truth be told, Holland is just one of those fighters who truly loves to fight.
“A lot of people fight because of the way it looks on their Facebook account or their Twitter account or their Instagram account, it looks good, it helps them get the girls,” Holland said. “I was getting the girls before I started fighting. I was cool before I started fighting. I fight because I enjoy it.
“I was told if you work hard when you’re young, you get to enjoy it later on in life and you don’t really know life until your late 30’s or 40’s so I’m just looking to work until I know what life is so I can go out and enjoy it.”
While wins and losses are always what’s most important, Holland acknowledges that embracing the ability to talk before and after the fight is an aspect that so many other athletes ignore.
Certainly fans and viewers will always remember a highlight reel finish but there’s something to be said about leaving them with a lasting impression beyond a vicious knockout or jaw-dropping submission.
That’s why Holland has no problem engaging in post fight interviews or just doing media in general because he may only get 15 minutes inside the cage to leave a lasting impression but he has months surrounding his performances to give people something else to talk about.
“It was a part of the sport before they made it a big part of the sport. Fighters did not understand that from day one,” Holland said. “My grandpa always told me I should do something to do with talking cause when I was a kid he used to call me ‘jabberjaw’. I talk a lot. I love to talk. When I drive my car going state to state, I talk on my phone almost the entire time. I love the spotlight. There’s nothing better.
“You want to know one of the worst parts about losing? You don’t get to talk afterwards. I always have something to say.”
