Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight belt against Dustin Poirier this weekend. For a long time, Makhachev has eyed the welterweight title. As such, a win over Poirier brings Makhachev closer to the double champion dreams. Kevin Holland talked about Makhachev’s aspirations recently.
The always outspoken Kevin Holland had bestowed lofty expectations upon the Dagestani wrecking machine. Holland will fight on the undercard of UFC 302. While sharing the PPV card with Makhachev, Holland had only praiseworthy words to say about the champion. Moreover, he thinks Makhachev has what it takes to win the welterweight title.
Champ, champ, champ, for sure, for sure. champ. I think Khabib (Nurmagomedov) could have done the same f*****g thing if he wanted to. So yeah, for sure, for sure. I think Islam’s probably a little bit more scarier to deal with.
Kevin Holland during the UFC 302 Media Day
Islam Makhachev‘s dominant run to lightweight glory has seen a lot of pre-fight breakdowns forecasting similar destruction across the higher weight class. However, Holland’s ringing endorsement carries some extra credibility, given his first-hand experience grappling with elite wrestlers inside the octagon.
Kevin Holland predicts Islam Makhachev will be UFC welterweight champion if he moves up 🏆
“I think Khabib could’ve done the same thing if he wanted to. And I think Islam’s probably a little more scarier to deal with” 👀 #UFC302 pic.twitter.com/DqAXpUcMXi
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 29, 2024
Holland is set to face Michal Oleksiejczuk in the main card of UFC 302. Holland is coming off a loss against the new addition to the welterweight roster, Michael Page, at UFC 299. As such, the fight against Oleksiejczuk will happen in the middleweight division. Nevertheless, he has not ruled out a move back to welterweight at the moment.
Kevin Holland reveals offer to fight legendary opponent
Opportunities can appear and vanish in the blink of an eye in the MMA world. Kevin Holland recently revealed that he was tantalizingly close to securing a marquee bout. This was against none other than the iconic welterweight Nick Diaz.
Kevin Holland reveals offer to fight Nick Diaz (via MMA Fighting)According to Holland, the UFC had proposed a welterweight showdown pitting him against the former Strikeforce champion later this summer. This was supposed to be at the promotion’s stacked Abu Dhabi card.
I was supposed to be taking a fight at 170 against a pretty big name opponent [Nick Diaz], but they say he wasn’t able to fight till August. So I was like, ‘Damn, that’s a long time.’ They’re like, ‘Bro, it’s only an extra month.’ And I’m like, ‘No, it’s too long.’
Kevin Holland via UFC 302 media day
Facing the wildly popular Diaz brother would have been a significant feather in Holland’s cap. A win over the Stockton hero could have propelled “Trailblazer” into the top 10 of the division. This bout could happen in the future if Diaz defeats his upcoming opponent at the Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi.
