LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] doesn’t like to sit around waiting for a fight – or “warm the b*tch,” as he calls it.
With that in mind, the excitement conjured by an offer to fight [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] came with just a fight in general – not the specific opponent. That, even though Holland (23-7 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Rodriguez (16-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) have history.
Since a May 2020 matchup fell through, both fighters have expressed interest in fighting one another. It was the promotion’s need for a last-second lineup boost that aligned them for a main card bout at UFC 279.
“It feels good,” Holland told reporters including MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I like to stay active. I don’t like to sit at home and, as I say, warm the b*tch for everybody else to come out here and do their thing. I like to stay active. I feel like I’m somebody who is on the roster working as hard as possible. It feels good to be here. It feels good to be back at work and it damn sure feels good not to be sitting at home on the couch.”
The promotion had been working on finalizing Holland vs. Magny for Oct. 15 prior to the need to bulk UFC 279. The UFC then looked at Holland vs. Stephen Thompson, but “Wonderboy” wasn’t keen on such a short-notice offering. That’s when Holland’s old pal Rodriguez emerged from the pool.
“It doesn’t really matter who it was,” Holland said. “As long as they got me a fight and it was soon. I’m happy whether it was D-Rod, whether it was Neil Magny, whether it was ‘Wonderboy,’ whether it was f*cking three or four of the other names they named me. I guess I was just a backup fighter for a lot of people. They finally found somebody I didn’t have to be backup to.”
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While many fans are touting the 180-pound fight as one of the card’s best and most competitive, Holland said a closer look results in different findings.
“On paper, it’s a great fight,” Holland said. “I’m glad everybody looks at the paper. If you look at the paper closely, I feel like I’ve fought the better people. I feel like you guys are talking about, ‘He has better boxing.’ I feel like he has sh*tty street boxing. We’ll find out if he has sh*tty street boxing or good boxing. We’ll have a good night. … I expect him to go out there, not move his head that much, get rocked, and hopefully get knocked the f*ck out.”
UFC 279 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNEWS and early prelims on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.
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