Miami — UFC welterweight Kevin Holland, who faces Randy Brown at UFC 327 this Saturday, has come to accept that callouts are part of the fight business.
So he wasn’t exactly surprised when he head Brown had been calling his name.
“The guy’s called me out a few times, they always have this code on, like ‘don’t fight another guy like you.’ And then they want to fight, so I give them what they want and I’m gonna f*ck em up,” Holland (28-15, 1NC) said during a brief UFC 327 media day appearance on Wednesday.
When asked to clarify what was meant by “another guy like you,” Holland wasn’t in the mood to explain. “Don’t ask me details, you know what I’m talking about.”
That said, the fighter who Dana White once called “Big Mouth” understands that being called out generally isn’t personal. It’s simply a part of promoting fights and working your way up the ladder, for many athletes trying to make it.
“It’s a business. It’s part of the game. These guys don’t mean it. They see me in the hallways and stuff and it’s never any problem. I’ve learned the long way that it’s just competition.”
Asked about Brown’s skills in the cage, Holland allowed that “he’s a pretty decent guy. We’ll find out Saturday.”
It’s been about six months on the shelf for Kevin Holland, which considering his usual pace is an eternity. While away, he found time to open his own gym.
“It’s pretty cool. I don’t do a whole lot of promotion or anything like that. Just kind of keep it smooth, keep it small,” Holland said of the business. “And we’ve got some decent fighters. We got two guys, I really like the way they fight, in the pros. And we’ve got a couple amateurs, and some pretty cool hobbyists that come in there. Ultimately just kind of building a family.”
Holland has no plan on coaching, but “I’m definitely happy to maybe in the future own a few gyms, be able to set some standards on how gyms should be ran. I’ve seen some good ones, seen come bad ones. And ultimately just help out the future of MMA that’s coming up, the young guys. That’s what it’s all about.”
Watch the full UFC 327 media day appearance by Kevin Holland above.
