UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland is not enamored by the idea of sharing the octagon with former two-time champion Israel Adesanya.
Holland is set for his second outing since returning to 185 pounds at this weekend’s UFC 307 pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Four months on from a submission win over Michał Oleksiejczuk, “Trailblazer” has the chance to leap into the top 10 by getting the better of Roman Dolidze at the Delta Center on Saturday night.
With a victory over the Georgian, Holland could secure a place opposite a major contender next time out. But showing his strong focus on delivering entertainment, “Big Mouth” has looked to eliminate one former champ from the equation…
Holland Would Rather Fight Costa Than Adesanya: ‘At Least Paulo’s Going To Actually Come Out & Fight’
During a recent interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Holland looked ahead to his outing in the “Beehive State” and assessed what could await him after an impressive performance.
While a big-name opponent could be in the offing for “Big Mouth” should he have his hand raised at UFC 307, he’d rather it not be one particular figure inside the top five.
“Not really,” Holland said when asked if the idea of facing Adesanya gets him excited. “It would have been exciting beating him as the champ. Now he’s just some guy who can’t stop running backwards and getting clipped and throwing a lot of leg kicks.
“At the end of the day, guys fighting like that, they play the chess match where they’re just doing this (leg kicking) all night. It’s like, that’s boring,” Holland continued. “I’d rather fight Paulo Costa than fight Izzy. At least Paulo’s gonna actually come out there and fight, when he actually wants to.”
Adesanya is currently without an opponent almost two months on from his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis in Perth. He is, however, targeting a return to action before the end of 2024.
Holland, meanwhile, looks to have his hands full this weekend as he shoots for the middleweight top 10 at the expense of the ever-dangerous Dolidze.
