Canadian welterweight Mike Malott isn’t just preparing for Kevin Holland’s power and unpredictability this Saturday at UFC Vancouver, he’s bracing for the chatter.
Known for his mid-fight banter as much as his striking, Holland has a habit of talking through chaos, and Malott says he’s ready to stay locked in when the Octagon turns into both a fistfight and a conversation. Holland does so much of it that UFC CEO Dana White dubbed him ‘Big Mouth’ early on in his career.
Malott’s teammates were more than happy to help him prepare. It led to some hilarious moments in the gym.
“The times they got me to crack were when other people didn’t know that we were doing that, and they started laughing,” Malott told Cageside Press at his media day scrum on Wednesday.
“‘What the hell are you doing? Why are you calling him that?’ They were like oh no we’re doing this for, my opponent’s going to talk trash, they’re like oh yeah definitely good call. He’s definitely going to do that. Those are the times that it was funny.”
Malott (12-2-1) anticipated a matchup that could propel him back toward the rankings, but he didn’t expect it to come against Holland. On Saturday night, he’ll share the co-main event spotlight with one of the UFC’s most popular and unpredictable fighters.
“I wasn’t sure what I was going to get next. Whether it was like another unranked guy who was close to the rankings, if I kind of have to fight one more of those before I get a ranked opponent, or someone 12-15,” Malott said.
“I was happy to get the opportunity to fight for a ranked position.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Mike Malott above. He faces Kevin Holland at UFC Vancouver on Saturday night.
