Surging UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland claims that the 185 lbs division is bereft of a champion at the moment and has a bizarre theory in support of his statement.
According to Holland, reigning champion Israel Adesanya vacated the middleweight title when he decided to move up to the light heavyweight division to take on Jan Blachowicz. Adesanya ended up unsuccessful in his quest for a second title in the UFC as he succumbed to a unanimous decision loss at the recently concluded UFC 259 pay-per-view.
Kevin Holland believes that a fighter is as good as his last fight and since Adesanya lost to Blachowicz last time out, he doesn't deserve to be hailed as champion anymore. In a recent interview with BT Sport, Kevin Holland explained why Adesanya isn't the champion anymore:
"Looking at the 185 lbs division, it doesn't have a champ. Our champ went up to 205, vacated the belt and lost. You're only as good as your last fight. My last fight was a sparring session in the gym I got whooped on. You know, his last fight was a fight on TV and he lost. He's not the 85 champ."
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Kevin Holland proclaims himself as the new king of the UFC middleweight division
Kevin Holland further claimed to be the new king of the middleweight division. According to Holland, Adesanya is "just another guy" in the middleweight division at the moment.
"He's no champ right now. he's fighting for the vacated belt the next time he fights. That's about it, he's not the champ. He's just another guy swimming in the middleweight division and if you ask the people, it's my division, not his. So, it is what it is."
Holland is scheduled to face UFC veteran Derek Brunson this weekend in the main event of UFC Vegas 22. Holland was the breakout star in the promotion last year with five straight wins. In his most recent fight, he scored an incredible knockout victory over the veteran Jacare Souza.