UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland has given a chilling account of his devastating armbar finish against Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302, which left the latter’s arm badly mangled.
In a post-fight interview, Holland recounted the gruesome details of the submission victory, which earned him a performance bonus of $50,000. “When I first put him in the armbar, I heard the pop,” Holland said. “After that, it wasn’t popping again. And I was like, I’m going to have to do a full-blown break.”
Holland, known for his ruthless finishing ability, revealed that he had to muster all his strength to secure the submission. “I was like, little chihuahua scoot, you know what I mean? Get myself underneath there. And they hit a good pull after that,” he explained.
Despite his opponent’s toughness, Holland was determined to get the finish. “The guy’s tough as nails. ”
That arm was gone pic.twitter.com/OnSwfxgkRy
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Holland’s coach had warned him about Oleksiejczuk’s power, and the American fighter was prepared for a war. “I said, he hits me with a good shot, this fight’s going to the ground. He hit me with a good shot, and the fight got to the ground. Good job. We’re here,” he recalled.
When asked about the sensation of breaking someone’s arm in front of a sold-out arena, Holland showed a more compassionate side. “It feels the same as it feels to sub anybody with a regular thing… I don’t want any harm to happen to him. I definitely want to win the fight, because I like both my checks. But no harm, I wish, done to him.”
Oleksiejczuk’s arm was visibly hyper-extended during the submission, leading many to speculate about the severity of the injury. However, Holland expressed his hope that the injury was not as severe as it seemed. “I hope he’s OK, and I hope it’s truly not broke, because you seem to be a cool guy,” he said.
As for the role of referee Herb Dean, Holland revealed that he had asked him to stop the fight earlier, but Dean allowed it to continue for a little longer. “I asked him to stop it a little early, but Herb Dean was like, ‘I got a little longer.’ I was like, ‘All right, cool, cool, cool. I’m a little nicer than Big Bro. Big Bro don’t f**k around, you know what I’m saying?'”
