Fighting in the UFC for fun?

Kevin Holland has talked and finished his way into the hearts of UFC fans during the pandemic. The gregarious fighter went on a 5-0 win streak upon joining the organization, including some spectacular finishes. Landing his first main event, Holland lost a lackluster fight to Derek Brunson and was deeply criticized for the performance. Yet had he won, still behaving as he did during the fight, none of the criticism he has received since the loss would exist today. Here lies the problem.

A fight that was expected to be full of fireworks but fell a bit flat, Kevin Holland fought in his first main event against Derek Brunson during UFC Fight Night Vegas 22 on Saturday, March 20. Brunson dominated Holland through all five rounds, with much it occurring in mount. After the fight Holland was criticized for the defeat - not for losing, but rather the "lack of focus" he displayed through the entire fight. Chatting with retired UFC champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, between rounds, some went as far as to call his behavior bizarre.

I​n his post-fight comments, Kevin mentioned that he's here to have fun. Pundits as well as some fighters have been incredibly critical of this and have gone as far as to call the Holland undisciplined and unprofessional.

Throughout his tenure "Big Mouth," as Holland has been nicknamed, has consistently delivered exciting fights full of professional wrestling-level smack talking. Never one to bite his tongue, he has called opponents his children, criticized champions and maintained a flare for the dramatic. Yet the one thing he has not done is asked for a title shot or maintained that a championship bout was his goal. He has repeatedly talked about how much fun fighting is for him and how he will continue to fight until it no longer is fun.

Fighting professionally to "have fun" may seem paradoxical. Why train mixed martial arts full time if not to be a professional MMA fighter? Why fight if it's not to win? Why win if it's not to be the champion? We've seen this dog and pony show many times before. Fighters consistently attempting to climb the rankings, always trying to score the next big fight that will inch them closer to a title bout. But Holland is different. He is content to fight whoever is placed in front of him, rankings be damned. His goal, it would seem, has been to make a career doing something he truly loves. And that seems to be enough. Yet for the rest of the MMA world this feels disingenuous.

Why put his body through the rigors of the fight game if not searching for the ultimate prize? Easy, because he likes punching people in the face, talking trash, and getting paid for it. That's it. There's no conspiracy. There's no revisionist history. There's simply a man that, win or loss, enjoys fighting and talking trash for money. And while that should be enough, for fans and pundits alike, it is not.

​Combat sports are fueled by competitiveness and an aggression that is misunderstood outside the sports world. Go to any MMA site and listen to interviews with fighters, and they follow a familiar troupe - "I want to beat the best, I want to be the best, I want to be a legend." You will never hear a fighter say, "I want to be a gatekeeper and I'm content fighting consistently to make money doing what I love." But whether we want to admit it or not, this is what Kevin Holland has said in essence. He wants to fight, he wants challenging fights, and he wants to have fun. And while this attitude is a definite shift in the paradigm of the fight game, there should be a space for this to be OK. Because whether you realize it or not, this is the actual reality for most of the 500+ athletes signed to the UFC. Most will never see a main card bout, much less a title fight no matter how much they are "working to beat the best and be the best."

Some will read this and see an excuse for a poor performance from an exciting fighter. The reality is that Kevin Holland was outclassed by a journeyman fighter who himself is considered a gatekeeper (whether he likes it or not). Holland did appear unfocused; he could not stop Brunson's take downs and mounted virtually no offense past the second round. Holland delivered a un-inspired performance at best. Yet the fact still remains that the "missed opportunity" we are all talking about was our priority for Kevin Holland and not his own. It's time we start believing fighters when they show us who they are. Kevin Holland will not be a champion in the UFC middleweight division and that's perfectly fine, because he never said he wanted to be. We need to accept (and enjoy) that he's here to talk trash, punch people in the face while getting a check, and has a ton of fun doing it.