UFC's most active fighter Kevin Holland: ‘So many fights I don't remember'
Holland faces Vicente Luque on June 7, his 21st fight for the UFC since 2020, which makes him the promotion's most regular competitor over the past five years.
A fan favourite due to his activity and charismatic personality, Holland equalled the record for most UFC wins in a calendar year back in 2020 - managing five fights and winning all of them.
"My whole career I've always been pretty active,' he told BBC Sport. 'You're an athlete, you can't be an athlete for 40 years, you can only be it for so long. So take advantage and wish for the best.
"Between super matches in jiu jitsu, Muay Thai, MMA, I'd fight seven to eight times a year. I've always fought a lot, never really sit on my butt too much.
"I've had so many fights I don't remember none of them."
Holland last fought at UFC London back in March, beating Gunnar Nelson by decision to return to winning ways, two months after being finished in the first round by Reinier de Ridder.
Bouncing back from defeat is seemingly what Holland is best at, saying he barely needs any time to rest and recuperate before returning to the cage.
"As soon as I was healthy to go it's straight back in the gym,' he added. 'It's simple, I like to stay in there and stay active.
"I don't really need much time in between fights, two days is typically all a man needs."
Luque, ranked 14th at welterweight, will be his third bout of 2025, with Holland eyeing a potential return to the top 15 with a win.
However, Holland does not look too far into the future when it comes to his fighting career, taking things one bout at a time.
"I'm just focused on one thing only, and that's the fight coming up," he said.
"Treat MMA like a real job. Respect and appreciate it, listen to your coaches, and put the grind in. Don't listen to the critics, listen to the coaches."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lauren James injury latest as England provide update on ‘scare' ahead of Euro 2025 final
England forward Lauren James is set to be available for the Euro 2025 final against Spain after recovering from an ankle injury. James was forced off at half-time during England's semi-final win over Italy but has trained in the days before the final and is set to be fit. Sarina Wiegman expects to have all 23 players available for selection, should they come through their final recovery, including James. 'We had 23 players on the pitch today and everyone came through, so if everyone recovers well then we have 23 players available for tomorrow,' Wiegman said. 'I think we have many players that can impact, and we know that (James) can have an impact too, so that will be nice.' James played a key part in England's 1-0 win over the world champions Spain at Wembley in February - the last time Spain lost a match. 'Lauren brings something slightly different,' Leah Williamson said. 'Just like the others, so obviously having that available is best-case scenario for us.' Williamson has recovered from her own ankle injury and is set to captain England in the final after missing out of the 2023 World Cup, where the Lionesses lost 1-0 to Spain in Sydney. 'I can speak for every single member of the squad when I say we will play as long as we get the green light, we would play through absolutely anything to be involved at this stage,' Williamson said. 'My ankle is great. My mum actually rolled her ankle a couple of days ago, so she's taken all the attention away from me now. But no, I had a scare. Obviously I want to be involved, and I want to be available to help the team any way they need me.' Williamson said it was 'awful' to miss out on the last World Cup and admitted she felt 'useless' watching England in the final against Spain. 'That probably bothered me the most,' Williamson said. 'Of course, I'm very happy with that,' Wiegman said when asked about Williamson's availability as captain. 'I am very happy that we have 23 players available tomorrow and yeah, Leah has a big role in the team, so it's really nice to have her on the pitch.'
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
England captain Leah Williamson delivers powerful message ahead of Euro 2025 final
England captain Leah Williamson said the Lionesses are determined to not be a 'flash in the pan' and 'continue their legacy' as game-changers as they prepare to face world champions Spain in the Euro 2025 final in Basel. The Lionesses have reached a third consecutive major tournament final and will defend the European title won at Wembley three years ago against a Spain team who defeated them in the World Cup final in 2023. Sarina Wiegman 's side have the opportunity to be the first English team to win a major title on foreign soil and Williamson, who was also captain for their historic success at Euro 2022 but then missed the World Cup through injury, said the Lionesses are motivated to add to their story. 'You don't want to be a flash in the pan, a memory. When we spoke before 2022, we said it was the start of something and we are still trying to play our role in that as well,' Williamson said. 'Being here and being on this stage, we know how powerful that is and I hope it continues to grow. I hope the respect for the women's game, the respect for women and women's sport continues and we can try our best to continue to elevate that. 'The beautiful thing about 2022 was that I'm not sure any of us will ever be a part of something like that again in terms of the change, the story and journey. "Being away from home is special in a different way. You go out to represent your country somewhere else and the weight of that is important to consider. It sometimes adds a little extra. "The history on the line, it seems [when] this team enters a new year there's so much to be done and could be done and I think it's a real privileged time to be part of this team. 'The opportunity to be the first this and first that is a big motivator but more because we know what it does for women's football and continues the legacy that we've already started." Spain defeated England 1-0 in the World Cup final two years ago but Williamson disagreed with the idea that the Lionesses were underdogs against the world champions, who are aiming to win the Euros for the first time. 'I think tomorrow we play a game against the world champions who continue to prove themselves over and over in the way they play football,' Williamson said. 'They are fantastic footballing team and they are the best at what they do and we're very much aware of that. 'We think we're pretty good in areas as well. We need to be at our best to beat Spain. I think they need to be at their best to beat us too. There is a lot of respect between the two teams. I would be hesitant to say there's an underdog in this scenario. 'Ultimately we're going against the world champions tomorrow and that's not an easy job. We will prepare ourselves as best we can for that challenge.' England reached the Euro 2025 final after requiring miraculous escapes against Sweden in the quarter-finals and Italy in the semi-finals and Williamson said England could not afford to go into the final afraid of defeat. 'We focus on being the best people we can to each other, performing the best that we can and hopefully that gives you the result you want,' Williamson said. 'But definitely not fearful of losing because you do expend energy in ways you don't want to." Wiegman confirmed England have all 23 players available for the final, including Lauren James - who has recovered from an ankle injury to be in contention. 'We had 23 players on the pitch today and everyone came through so if everyone recovers well then we have 23 players available for tomorrow,' Wiegman said. 'We have many players that can impact and we know [James] can have an impact so that will be nice.' 'I would just echo what Sarina says, we have a team of talented players,' Williamson added. 'We all bring something slightly different just like the others - obviously having [James] available is best case scenario for us.'
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
Tottenham held to draws by Wycombe and Luton
Tottenham were forced to settle for pre-season friendly draws against Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town, with both matches ending 2-2 and 0-0 respectively on Saturday coach Thomas Frank fielded two different starting XIs for the fixtures, both of which struggled to find a breakthrough against their League One behind-closed-doors friendly against Wycombe at Hotspur Way was a late addition to the club's calendar, but it handed the likes of Richarlison, Wilson Odobert and Brandon Austin their first pre-season Matar Sarr was one of the standout performers, netting a brace as Spurs came from behind to clinch a struggled in their second friendly of the day at Kenilworth Road though, as a team including summer signing Mohammed Kudus plus first-team regulars Micky van de Ven, Brennan Johnson and Guglielmo Vicario recorded just two shots over 90 minutes.
