Kevin Holland returned to the win column this past weekend at UFC 302 with a great finish over Michał Oleksiejczuk.
After being knocked down inside the first minute, Holland was able to quickly recover and lock up an armbar submission from the bottom.
From there, the position only got worse for Oleksiejczuk who refused to tap as Holland controlled the arm and spoke to him throughout.
Gradually realizing that his opponent wasn’t going to give him the win without doing significant damage first, “Big Mouth” dialled up the intensity to force an end to the fight through a technical submission.
Holland has produced some incredible finishes during his time in the promotion and will always be a fan favorite but he has struggled to compete with the very best.
McCarthy Questions Whether Kevin Holland Is Mean Enough For Top Level Of MMA
During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson and “Big” John McCarthy recapped all of the action from UFC 302.
Both men were impressed by Holland’s display as he once again proved his ability to compete at both welterweight and middleweight.
However, McCarthy noticed one thing in this fight that could prove to be something that holds Holland back when it comes to competing at the highest level.
The way he only really put the pressure on the arm of his opponent after it became clear that he wasn’t going to tap was compared to fighters in the past that have tried to take the arm home with them as soon as they got the hold locked in.
I’m going to be honest about this, the one attribute he doesn’t have, he’s not mean. He’s not, because I’m telling you right now, Frank Mir had that arm, you know just watching that fight, he’s sat there and he’s kind of like trying to put a little more pressure, a little more pressure like it is training and kind of looks up (at the referee) like ‘Hey!’ and finally says ‘Okay, I’m gonna have to do this, I’m sorry’ and puts it under his arm.
All I’m telling you is Frank Mir, dude as soon as he grabbed that arm, he’s trying to take it off of your body. Carlos Condit, he’s trying to take it off your body. Josh Barnett, he’s trying to take it off your body. He wants to take that thing, pull it off your body and smack you in the head with it.”
