‘I’m Not that Candidate’- Kevin Holland Shuts Down the Idea of Fighting Luke Rockhold in his Return Fight

Published 05/19/2021, 2:12 AM EDT

UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland has had a hectic year and is 5-2 in his last 7 outings under the promotional banner. ‘The Trailblazer’ has had a tough go as of late and has lost his last two contests. He recently spoke to Helen Yee and provided an update on his life and career.

Holland was asked about another fighter who’s had a tough run recently and shared his candid views on fighting him. Chiefly, former champion Luke Rockhold is on a two-fight skid and hasn’t fought since July 2019. At one point it seemed as though Rockhold had one foot out of the door. However, he’s since expressed a desire to return.

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Kevin Holland looks at what’s next for Luke Rockhold

When asked about possibly fighting Luke Rockhold next, Kevin Holland provided an honest assessment of his own career trajectory. He believes that given his recent skid in the organization, he’ll have to fight an opponent with a lesser profile. Furthermore, Holland also came up with an opponent who could have been a good stylistic match-up for Rockhold.

Holland said, “I just don’t think my name is big enough right now, when I was like whatever number I was before I lost my two last love-making sessions, then you know I would have been that candidate. But now I’m not that candidate. Luke is an OG, he’s a vet, so he deserves to be fighting top 10 when he comes back.”

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Holland further added, “I see people online like ‘take whatever fight you can get’ but just hold your horses, my man, you’ll get a top 10 soon I can promise you that… Uriah Hall and him would have been a really really good fight but Uriah Hall is booked against Sean Strickland and that’s a really, really good fight as well… Like I said, Luke’s an OG and I love fighting OG’s but I hope Luke finds a fight.”

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Luke Rockhold has had a significant lay-off from competition and will be looking to return with a bang. There’s no doubt that Holland vs Rockhold will be fireworks. However, it seems that the interest level is minimal currently. Kevin Holland too will benefit from picking up a highlight-reel finish in his next fight to maintain his profile.

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Darryl Pinto is a senior MMA writer at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his graduate degree in Mass Media (with a specialization in Journalism) out of Xavier’s College and has a year's experience in his current role. Darryl specializes in predictions, reporting, and covering UFC events live.

‘I’m Not that Candidate’- Kevin Holland Shuts Down the Idea of Fighting Luke Rockhold in his Return Fight

Kevin Holland looks at what’s next for Luke Rockhold

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