"I got kicked out of high school" - Kevin Holland on how troubled childhood paved path towards becoming professional MMA fighter
Ahead of his upcoming clash against Khamzat Chimaev, Kevin Holland discussed his troubled childhood that opened the doors to a UFC career. In a video uploaded to UFC's Twitter, 'Trailblazer' revealed how an altercation with a security guard led to his expulsion from high school.
Kevin Holland explained that he was later sent to continuation school where his encounter with a martial arts instructor inspired him to get into MMA. Here's what the 29-year-old said:
"I got into fighting by head-butting a security guard in high school. I head-butted a guard, I got kicked out of high school. Like D-Rod, went to juvenile hall for a little while. Got out of juvenile hall, and went to continuation school."
Holland added:
"The continuation school that I went to, there was a martial arts instructor... He was a kung fu instructor named Mr. Kennedy. I told him all that stuff was fake fighting. Sure enough, I came to the class, beat up all the students and then he beat the living s*** out of me and from then on, I never wanted to look back and here I am here in the UFC."
Watch Holland discuss his story below:
From troubled teen on his way to the top 15. This is the story of @Trailblaze2top's start in fighting 📘
[ #UFC279 | Tomorrow | Live on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/3CEMN9O ] https://t.co/uj9sZxG8Lk
A product of Dana White's Contender Series, Kevin Holland made his UFC debut in August 2018. 'Trailblazer' had an unsuccessful start to his promotional career. However, he has looked quite impressive recently, picking up back-to-back stoppage wins in his last two outings.
Can Kevin Holland overcome the challenge of Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279?
Kevin Holland will look to continue his strong run of form when he takes on No.3-ranked undefeated sensation Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 tonight. The 29-year-old will aim for his third straight win at welterweight, which could see him burst into the divisional top five.
However, this will be a tough challenge for Holland, who came up short in his middleweight bouts against strong wrestlers like Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori last year.
Khamzat Chimaev is clearly a more dominant fighter with tremendous wrestling and ground-and-pound abilities. From what it appears, Holland's only chance of winning this matchup is catching Chimaev on the feet for the upset.