On the weirdly comical lines of the “Better Call Saul” gag going around – Kevin Holland has used another throughout his career. “Call Big Mouth” he says; if the UFC comes knocking, the Trailblazer is up for the task. Come this Saturday’s UFC 307 pay-per-view, Holland will build on that legacy to make a case for a title shot someday soon. A shot he rightly thinks he deserves more than anyone else.
Holland takes on Roman Dolidze (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the feature main-card opener at UFC 307 at Delta Center. The headline bout will feature the second-most active fighter of the last three years, Alex Pereira. The Brazilian has had 10 bouts and more title fights than non-title ones since October 2021. Whereas, Kevin Holland is the most active fighter on the competition roster during that stretch [11]. Holland recently pitched on that front.
I’m an active motherfu*ker, …Half these people are running around talking about, ‘We don’t get paid enough. We don’t get paid enough. We don’t get paid enough.’ You don’t fight enough – At the end of the day, you want to get paid for sh*t you don’t do. Fu*king sound like a bum to me. Just remember, I wasn’t the bum like the rest of these guys.
Kevin Holland during Wednesday’s UFC 307 Official Media Day
With the pay of the fighters and divisional listing rankings a hot topic, Holland pushed back against the complaints. He fought four times in 2022, twice in 2023, and will fight three times this year. The Team Travis Lutter BJJ’s grappler and Kung Fu man is fresh off a win against Michal Oleksiejczuk. Immediately a month later, he wanted to be on the Annual Noche card at the Sphere.
Kevin Holland weighs in on Alex Pereira before UFC 307
Kevin Holland (26-11 MMA, 13-8 UFC) made a successful return to the middleweight division at UFC 302 in June. He’s 9-4 when fighting in the weight class. While not a Dan Ige–Diego Lopes short-notice dynamic, he now draws Dolidze for the scrap. Dolidze returned to the win column in late June, outworking Anthony Smith at UFC 303.
The quick middleweight bout came to be when Chris ‘Action Man’ Curtis suffered a fracture in his left foot. But nothing, quick or otherwise, is a bigger fan-friendly all-star booking than Pereira right now. In three years, he has dominantly captured straps in two divisions and become a brand value champ. The Brazilian also shocked with his KO’s at the UFC 300 and UFC 303 PPVs.
At the end of the day it’s like I did a little electrical work before. My grandma and grandpa owned a janitorial business. So I understood the 9-to-5 and clocking in hours and getting done with the job to get paid…I understand going to work so I can pay my bills and I’ve got a lot of bills. Respect to Alex. Alex has done this and gotten the belt and stayed active.
Kevin Holland during Wednesday’s UFC 307 Official Media Day
Alex Pereira is a perfect example of a favela fighter going from tires to riches in UFC competition. Holland is all here for it. The Trailblazer is one of those who have stood out and maintained the same moniker of work output outside their fight lives.
After decision losses to Jack Della Maddalena and Michael Page, Holland rebounded with an armbar submission on Oleksiejczuk. He gets and understands the grind, which Pereira has perfected to become so likable as a champ. Someday soon, he envisions the same for himself.
