There was an added level of anticipation around Kevin Holland’s fight at UFC on ESPN 8 because, due to the lack of an audience, it would offer the chance to hear his famous trash talk a little more clearly.
That wasn’t the case at all, though. Holland (16-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) ended his middleweight fight with Anthony Hernandez (8-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in lightning-quick fashion, finishing the fight with a flurry of strikes for a 39-second knockout at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
It was the second fastest win of Holland’s career after a 22-second submission in 2015, but this one came on a far greater stage.
Watch it below (via Twitter):
Although Holland didn’t have much opportunity to talk inside the octagon, he had plenty to say afterward. He told UFC commentator Paul Felder that he decided to stop Hernandez right away because he looked cageside and realized Daniel Cormier wasn’t part of the booth for the event.
“I noticed ‘DC, wasn’t here, so I wasn’t going to have the wrestling advice,” Holland said. “So I figure I would get him out of here quickly.”
Holland went on to call out Mickey Gall for an upcoming card in June.
