Kevin Holland: ‘Just Enjoy Me’

In Kevin Holland fashion, his bout with Malott is his fifth of 2025. During the stretch, he's shown some of his best work, including a submission win over Vicente Luque at UFC 316 and a decision win over Gunnar Nelson in London. However, it also included some of what had plagued him in the past. He was outsized in his return to middleweight, losing to UFC Vancouver headliner Reinier de Ridder at UFC 311. He also lost a competitive slugfest against Daniel Rodriguez last time out at UFC 318. 

As is his won't, Holland believes what cost him that decision was fixable choices, and he’ll attempt to show as much against Malott, who is coming off a knockout victory over Charles Radtke at UFC 315. The Ontario-native and fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus is 3-1 in his home country, with his lone loss in that stretch, and only defeat in the UFC, coming against Neil Magny in a come-from-behind effort. 

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Holland has respect for Malott and believes his quality is legitimate, but he also doesn’t spend much time dwelling on opponents. Rather, he's focused on opening his own gym in Texas: Squabble MMA & Grappling. With his own space, Holland enjoys command over all the big and small aspects that come with running one’s own gym and seemingly relishes every second.

“It's amazing, bro,” he said. “Every day I wake up and am pretty happy that I have my own spot… I don't think there is a bad thing. Sometimes, everybody's not at the gym, but that means I just get the whole spot to myself. Either way, I'm happy as hell… I want to be able to have a spot to where people don't feel like they're it's a problem giving their 10 percent. I want to have a spot where fighters can pull up in the DFW and say, ‘Bro, this has everything.’ In Vegas, (they) have beautiful gyms, and you have the (UFC Performance Institute) where they can go eat and get massages. They can go get physical training. They can get everything they need. I just want to be able to do that in Texas.”

Holland isn’t pining to coach other athletes, but he also understands that he holds a wealth of experience that not many people in the world have. He is interested in managing fighters, hoping to guide up-and-comers through the MMA landscape with a keen and caring eye, but he also has his own business of fighting as well. With an eye trained toward the future, Holland sees a busy schedule (shocker), including a potential sixth fight before the end of 2025 and a “heavy year” in two years’ time. 

Before that, there is the task of dueling with Malott in Saturday's co-main event. Holland believes he should be riding into the contest on a 3-fight winning streak had he finished the job against Rodriguez, but that’s the fight game, and if there’s one thing with which Holland is familiar, it’s that.

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“I just enjoy getting in there and continuing to grow,” he said. “I'm 32 years old. I'll be 33 in a little under a month, and I don't feel bad. I got my first gray hair, but, if I dyed that mother***er back black, I'd be 16 all over again. 

“I feel great, feel smarter.”