Jacob Smith isn’t the biggest fan of Kevin Holland.
On Saturday, Smith picked up his fourth win in the UFC, taking on late-notice replacement Bruce Whitehead in a prelim fight at UFC 332. Whitehead stepped in for Holland after “Trailblazer” withdrew due to injury, and though it wasn’t the name he wanted, Smith delivered the performance he planned on, stopping Whitehead in just 92 seconds.
“I knew what I got to give, and not too many can withstand what I’ve got when I’m ready to send that storm out there,” Smith told the UFC after the fight. “I was expecting a finish, kind of a walk-off knockout, but it was slick in there, so I had to get him to the ground and do what I did. It was a great night tonight.”
At this point, Smith has a long history with Holland. The two were first booked to fight each other in July, with Holland’s injury pushing the fight back to UFC 332. Then, Holland withdrew from this bout, but was then booked to fight Uros Medic at UFC 334 next month. And that really grinds Smith’s gears.
“I want to kill Kevin Holland,” Smith said. “I want to murder Kevin Holland. [He] put me through two fight camps. I’m setting up my life outside of fighting, too, and for me to put that on pause to set up a fight, and then you cancel the fight week and get us to reschedule — you accepted two times, and then you don’t show up to Utah. Your foot’s still hurt, but you’re accepting fights with other dudes. You better hope Uros Medic gets your ass out of there, because if you win, I’m coming for you.”
And if it doesn’t end up being Holland, Smith still has the same words of warning for anyone who does step in the cage with him next.
“The same statement I’ve been coming along with: You’re gonna have to be ready to f*cking fight if you think you’re gonna step into the cage with Jacobe and make it a full 15 minutes.”
