Kevin Holland Shares If He Will Dial Down The Talking Against Vettori

To the surprise of few, Kevin Holland will be making his return a lot sooner than he initially said he would.

Kevin Holland says a lot of things before a fight, during a fight, and after a fight. The attentive observer would notice that there are certain things that aren’t just talk, where he undoubtedly follows through with trailblazing action. Perhaps chief among them is his willingness, if not eagerness, to step in and fight anyone, anywhere, and most measurably: any time.

So when Holland stated that he would be taking time off after losing to Derek Brunson less than three weeks ago, this went against everything he has stood for since entering the UFC. True to form and two weeks later, “Big Mouth” would agree to step in to fight Marvin Vettori at UFC on ABC 2 after Darren Till withdrew from the fight. So what happened to the “time off?”

“We had a game plan, and they asked me to fight. I always tell you guys, ‘Whatever the company wants me to do.’ The company needed me to step up, and I stepped up,” Holland told ESPN in a recent interview. “So that’s what I do. I do my job. So that was the job, and I’m doing my job.

“After this is over, we’ll go back to the drawing board, work on some things. Because no matter what happens, there’s still things that needs to be worked on. We can always be a better martial artist. We can always be a better individual. So there’s still things to work on. But we’ll worry about those after we get done with Marvin Vettori.”

Will Kevin Holland Give The Talk A Rest At UFC on ABC 2?

Among the things that Kevin Holland said he would work on is seeing a sports psychologist at the request of those around him. This idea spawned from Holland talking nonstop while losing to Derek Brunson on March 20, even chatting it up with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dana White between rounds instead of being more tuned in to his coaches’ advice. It’s doubtful Holland has already had the time to tackle this issue with a professional, but he feels confident in saying that there will be a change from the Brunson fight to the upcoming bout against Vettori.

“Yeah, I don’t think there’s (any) way I talk more than I did in the last one,” Holland predicted. “The whole time I was just nonstop. I think it’s safe to say that in between rounds, if it goes that far, I will be focused and zeroed in what (my corner) have to tell me. And so it’ll be a good night.”

Holland does admit that even though he is being a “company man” and “doing his job,” it was him who reached out first to inform the brass that he would be available if needed. And once again, they decided to take him up on his offer. Now that the deal is sealed, we’ll see if “Big Mouth” goes on to walk the walk instead of just talking the talk once the cage door closes this Saturday.

UFC on ABC 2 takes place Saturday, April 10 from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

How do you think Kevin Holland will bounce back from his loss to Derek Brunson when he takes on Marvin Vettori this Saturday?