MIAMI – It’s not about the fame or glory for Kevin Holland. It’s not even really about the championships at this point.
For Holland (23-9 MMA, 10-6 UFC), the magnitude of the potential win can be gauged from the paychecks, he admitted Wednesday ahead of his UFC 287 bout Saturday vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) at Kaseya Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
“No, not really,” Holland told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a pre-fight news conference when asked if the upcoming bout was a big opportunity. “‘Wonderboy’ or (Khamzat) Chimaev would’ve been a big win. Brunson or Vettori probably would’ve been a big win. They’ve been in the top 15 for how long? All these other wins are just good paychecks in the bank. Do you know what I mean? And don’t get me twisted, I love a paycheck in the f*cking bank.”
Holland, 30, has competed at both welterweight and middleweight in the UFC but has stuck around at the lighter of the two weight classes for his most recent string of fights. If given his choice, Holland said he’d only fight at middleweight. His weight cuts are not tough, but no cutting is better than some, he said.
“It’d be nice to get ranked at 170 and see how far I can get, then go back to 185,” Holland said. “But in this world we’re living in, I’ll take whatever they give me. Whatever they give me is good enough because there’s a whole lot of zeros going in my banking account, so it’s kind of hard to complain.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
