'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kevin Holland isn't too concerned about Israel Adesanya's opinion of him. Big Mouth made a bold statement by claiming that Adesanya isn't the champion in his eyes, as he the latter is coming off a loss at the hands of Jan Blachowicz.
During the UFC Vegas 22 virtual media day, Sportskeeda had the pleasure of speaking to Kevin Holland. The #10 ranked middleweight stated that he doesn't consider Israel Adesanya to be the champ any more, before adding that a weight class doesn't really matter and a fight is meant to be treated as a fight.
"From the who? You said the what? The ex-champ? He just lost his last fight, he ain't the champion. Right now as far as I'm concerned, his opinion doesn't really matter. I have the longer winning streak, he's coming off a loss. I guess they could say it was at 205 but in my eyes, a fight is a fight. Weight class doesn't matter, go watch my Instagram video."
Trending
In an interview with ESPN, Israel Adesanya stated that Kevin Holland definitely cannot vouch for a title shot by beating Derek Brunson this weekend.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
However, Holland is on a five-fight win streak in the middleweight division and certainly cannot be overlooked for too long. When asked about his title aspirations, Big Mouth jokingly said that he is aiming to challenge Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title next.
"Yeah, I'm fighting Kamaru Usman for the welterweight belt after this fight."
Kevin Holland will headline UFC Vegas 22 this weekend
2020 was a big year for Kevin Holland. The rising middleweight sensation put the entire middleweight division on notice with his stellar performances. Holland also sent a strong message to the rest of the UFC roster by staying extremely active and fighting five times throughout the year.
Although Kevin Holland got the better of fighters like Darren Stewart and Joaquin Buckley last year, it was his last fight of 2020 which really piqued everybody's attention. Big Mouth knocked out veteran Ronaldo Souza in brutal fashion in the first round of their fight at UFC 256.
Kevin Holland will aim to kickstart 2021 with a big win at the UFC APEX this Saturday and continue on his path to an eventual title shot.
