Kevin Holland recently beat Michal Oleksiejczuk earlier this month at UFC 302. It was a short-notice fight and Holland delivered, coming off a unanimous decision loss against debutant Michael Page at UFC 299. Now, the UFC wants him to fight Sharaputdin Magomedov next month, and ‘Trailblazer’ is ready but under one condition.
Sharaputdin Magomedov called out Kevin Holland for a fight this July after his second UFC fight at UFC Saudi Arabia. Holland addressed this callout during a recent interview with Helen Yee. Turns out, Holland’s only condition in taking on an opponent is that they have to fight in the US.
I mean it’s like if somebody wants to fight me here in the USA, I’ll fight anybody in the USA. When it comes to all that flying real far and stuff like that,.. I ain’t gonna lie, it just doesn’t really work out.
Kevin Holland on Helen Yee Sports
In a similar interview with The Schmo, Holland said that while he would not travel overseas, he is ready for a throwdown in Mexico. As per Holland, it is not him trying to dictate the terms of the fight. It is just that the UFC welterweight cannot handle the long fights and the various complications that come with fighting in a different timezone.Â
‘Shara Bullet’ has gained attention in MMA circles, going 13-0 undefeated in his MMA career. He previously made his UFC debut last year at UFC 294. The Russian took down Bruno Silva winning the fight via unanimous decision. There had been rumors that ‘Shara Bullet’ could not fight in the USA. However, according to his manager that is completely false.
Can Sharaputdin Magomedov fight in the US?
Dana White had recently made a statement regarding ‘Shara Bullet’s alleged problem with fighting in the USA. The UFC CEO declared post UFC Saudi Arabia that the promotion would keep Magomedov in the Middle East to bypass his regulation problems. However, that may not be the case anymore.
Sharaputdin Magomedov wins against Antonio Trocoli at UFC Saudi Arabia. (Image via UFC on X)MMA reporter, Aaron Bronsteter recently sent out a tweet on X. In that tweet, Bronsteter declared that Magomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz reportedly had a successful meeting with Dana White. Abdelaziz told him that nothing was preventing the Russian from competing in the United States.
Shara Bullet is here at the UFC Hall of Fame.
I’m told by his manager @AliAbdelaziz00 that there is nothing preventing Shara from competing in the United States and that he had a great meeting with Dana White this week. pic.twitter.com/kz45qc0Ok8
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) June 28, 2024
Sharaputdin Magomedov allegedly could not fight in the USA primarily due to regulatory issues regarding his impaired vision. Magomedov underwent eye surgery which left him blind in his right eye. This proved to be a major problem when getting approval from athletic commissions in the United States. However, with this latest update, we may very well see Kevin Holland step in against the ‘one-eyed pirate’ this July.
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