UFC President Dana White was perplexed by Kevin Holland in the UFC at ESPN 21 main event.
Holland (21-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) had his five-fight winning streak cracked by Derek Brunson (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in a unanimous decision loss in Saturday’s middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Although Holland got into the fray, known for his cage talk and boisterous acts, he took it to a new level in the fight with Brunson. He was talking from the moment the fight started, and even had a conversation with White and former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who were stationed in cages.
White thinks that Holland’s vocal level when he was knocked down and losing rounds to Brunson was caused by breaking under the pressure of the stage.
“I think that was a nervous breakdown,” UFC President Dana White told Yahoo! Sport. The only other thing I saw as it was [in boxing] when Lennox Lewis fought that guy [Oliver McCall] who put his hands next to him and cried. I don’t know what he did. I think he may not have been able to handle the pressure and just mentally broke. I have not seen anything like this. “
White wasn’t alone in thinking about Holland’s antics. A number of fighters agreed on social media while the fight was on, and while some were entertained, others were critical.
Holland said at the UFC on ESPN 21 post-fight show that he is considering a drop to the welterweight division after his first loss since October 2019.