Kevin Holland returned to the middleweight division and to his winning ways at UFC 302, appearing to snap his opponent’s arm before celebrating with former President Donald Trump, who was Octagon-side at the Newark, New Jersey, event on June 1, 2024.
Holland survived a knockdown from Michal Oleksiejczuk and then out-grappled the Polish fighter. He locked in arm bar that led referee Herb Dean to stop the fight with 1:34 left in the first round because of the injury to Oleksiejczuk’s arm.
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Holland, who is ranked 15th in the UFC’s welterweight division, improved to 25-11-1 overall and 9-4-1 in the UFC. It was the California native’s eighth career win by submission. Oleksiejczuk dropped to 19-8-1 with the loss and is now on a two-fight losing streak.
Holland was coming off of decision losses to MMA veteran and new UFC signee Michael “Venom” Page at UFC 299 and to rising star Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2. Both of those fighters were at welterweight. Holland has alternated between the 170- and 185-pound divisions in the UFC since making his debut in 2018.
Kevin Holland Told Joe Rogan After the Fight, the ‘Chihuahua Got the Pitbull Out of There’
Luke Hales/GettyKevin Holland and Michal Oleksiejczuk exchange strikes in their middleweight bout during UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey.
In his postfight interview, Holland told Joe Rogan, “Dude cracked me with a good shot, somehow he ended up on the ground, left his arm in a little too far. … It just felt like a regular class at jiujitsu. I tried not to go too hard and then I realized he wasn’t going to tap so I humped it a couple times, but overall, chihuahua got the pitbull out of there.”
Holland, when asked by Rogan if he felt better at middleweight or welterweight, said, “Honestly that’s for the organizaton to figure out. I kind of just feel like I’m the best gatekeeper you guys have ever seen. I’ll fight anybody up, I’ll fight anybody down, I don’t give a (expletive), just keep Kevin around.”
In his post-fight press conference at the Prudential Center, Holland told reporters he asked Dean to stop the fight before the injury.
“When I first put him in the armbar, I heard the pop and after that it wasn’t popping again and I was like, I’m going to have to do a full-on break,” Holland told the media, including Heavy. “The guy is tough as nails, he hit me with a good shot. … I wasn’t hurt at all, he simply hit me with a good shot and I was moving at the same time. I’m 6 foot 2, but my arms are long like I’m seven feet tall, so I’m a bit clumsy sometimes. So I fall over, they come on top and they get subbed. It’s good for me.”
Holland also said he came into the fight with an injury to his left hand, telling reporters it had been “feeling a little weird all week” leading up to the fight.
Holland Said He Apologized to Trump After the Win & Says He Hopes He Can Get Nick Diaz Next
Luke Hales/Getty Former President Donald Trump attends UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey.
At the press conference, Holland said he hopes Vicente Luque has to pull out of his upcoming fight against Nick Diaz at the UFC Fight Night co-main event in Abu Dhabi in August so that he can step in.
Holland said about his post-fight celebration with Trump, “I just apologized because the first time I hopped out of the cage when he was there I didn’t speak to him. No disrespect to anybody ever, the person who signs my checks is usually the first person I talk to and Dana and Hunter sign my checks.”
Holland added when asked about the Newark crowd, “Jersey is fantastic, east coast people are just (expletive) wild in general, I tend to love it. So, I had a great time out here. Anywhere I go to fight, they usually show me so much love, and it’s hard not to feel the great energy in the room.”
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Kevin Holland Celebrates With Donald Trump After Arm-Bending UFC 302 Victory