BOSTON – Kurt Holobaugh’s road to an “Ultimate Fighter” championship might be the most unique in the show’s history.
Holobaugh (20-7 MMA, 1-4 UFC) submitted Austin Hubbard (15-7 MMA, 3-5 UFC) in the second round of their lightweight tournament final for Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Saturday at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston. But unlike the majority of past “TUF” winners, Holobaugh already has big-show experience in the UFC.
Holobaugh had one fight for Strikeforce in 2012, and when the UFC absorbed that promotion, Holobaugh came with it. He had a UFC fight in 2013, but a loss to Steven Siler had him outside the company trying to work his way back.
And make it back, he did, after years fighting mostly for Titan FC, for which he won the featherweight and interim lightweight titles. He finally returned in 2018, but an 0-3 run had him outside the UFC again. The way back in for a third stint was through “TUF.”
“This means the world. It means everything. I’ve worked so hard for so many years,” Holobaugh said at his post-fight news conference. “I literally made my debut in the UFC back in 2013. I’ve had a heck of a lot of fights from then to now, and to come back the way I did – at 36 years old, not knowing if I was going to find a good home to fight at, didn’t fight for two years, and then on the verge of just saying, ‘Hey, maybe I’m just going to hang this up, retire, finish, keep coaching my kids, keep coaching my students in my gym – I’ve got professional fighters, amateur fighters that I coach back home – and then, boom, I got the call for ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and here we are.”
Holobaugh used his win over Hubbard, who was one of his teammates on the show, to call out Irish standout Paddy Pimblett, who may be several months away from a return fight.
Holobaugh said he takes a little bit of umbrage with how Pimblett has been treated by the UFC so far and wonders if it’s deserved.
“He’s got a name. He’s a rising star,” Holobaugh said. “But reality is, I was in the UFC long before that guy. He comes in and I feel like the UFC kind of butters him a little bit, kind of gives him some easy fights. He’s never fought somebody with the experience that I have. He’s never fought somebody that’s just did what I did on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ show.
“And it’s not just a regular ‘Ultimate Fighter’ show – this was ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ show where we had guys that were really, really good, but may have got cut in the UFC. I had to go through a murderer’s row of guys in the house. That’s fighting twice in 10 days and then preparing for this fight tonight. I feel like every guy that I fought and beat in the house is better than Paddy, so why not give me a big fight against one of the biggest rising stars in the world?”
Regardless of who he gets for his next shot at the UFC, the Louisianan said he’s probably got to be in a hurry for it. The mid-20s he was when he first made the walk for a UFC fight is a far cry from his current mid-30s.
“All gas, no brakes – I’m not getting any younger,” Holobaugh said. “I’m not satisfied just being back here in the UFC. I want to be here. I want to make a legit run. I think I could do that. I want to get a (ranking) number beside my name and I want to keep on going. I want to keep on fighting some of the best guys in the world. I want to keep testing myself. And always, the ultimate goal is to be UFC world champion.”
Check out Holobaugh’s full interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
