MIAMI – Kevin Holland looks forward to the stylistic matchup vs. Michael Page.
Holland (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) welcomes Page (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the octagon on Saturday’s UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) main card at Kaseya Center in Miami.
A fan favorite, Holland says he hasn’t been heckled by the U.K. fans at all as he aims to spoil their countryman’s UFC debut.
“When I was fighting some of these other guys from different places, they tend to come pretty hard. But I’ve kind of got a good relationship with everybody, and no, they’ve been pretty nice,” Holland told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I think they know this boy’s been living in Texas for a long time and he shouldn’t have a problem catching a snake.”
Holland says he was well aware of longtime Bellator fighter Page, who dazzled fans with numerous highlight-reel knockouts in his time there.
“I was a fan of his before he signed,” Holland said. “But if I’m a fan of somebody, I don’t want to welcome them anywhere – unless it’s at my house … eat some barbecue or something like that. That sounds pretty good. I don’t know. I watched him before, yeah. I’m a fan of his work – yeah, definitely.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.
