Kevin Holland’s life can probably be compared to a superhero movie. From stopping a carjacker to saving a life in an accident, he was the positive force in many lives.
However, not everyone is fond of what Holland did, former opponent Joaquin Buckley being one of them. In an interview with SportsKeeda last month, Buckley admitted that he is “not buying” Holland’s stories. He even claimed that they are ‘fake’.
“Man, Kevin Holland, and not just because he beat me, he’s one of the fakest people in the game,” Buckley said. “That guy is a fake a** b*tch.”
“He’s got everyone looking the other way with all this Batman bullsh*t. Running around pretending he’s something else, but I know who he really is.”
In October 2021, Holland reportedly stopped a carjacking and subdued the carjacker until the police arrived. Five months later, he and his training partner stopped a shooting in Houston,. He subdued the shooter with a rear-naked choke.
And less than two months later, he once again saved the day when he pulled out a driver from an overturned tractor-trailer. This last accident really sounded a lot like a film scene.
Reacting to Buckley’s statement, Holland sniped back
“I mean, I really am fake with the Batman stuff,” Holland told MMA Junkie and other reporters.
“When you see the Batman stuff, whatever happened, it really didn’t happen. But I never told you guys I was Batman. So maybe Joaquin Buckley is right. I’m still a thug at the end of the day. I still do thuggish sh*t. I take the glasses off? Sh*t gets bad. I keep the glasses on? Sh*t stays good. So as long as I keep the glasses on, I think we’re good to go. (I’m) more Superman than Batman, so tell Buckley switch the names up.”
He also did not forget to take a swipe at Buckley over a KO loss to him back in 2020, claiming Buckley as his “son”.
“What the f*ck is Buckley even talking for anyway? Shouldn’t he be trying to find his mouthpiece out the crowd or in the shadow realm somewhere? It’s like, lost. My son needs to piper down.”
Buckley, who is on the same media day with Holland, quickly responds to the media crew. He also mentions that he would love to run it back with Holland.
“With him doing what he’s doing and stuff like that, that’s cool,” Buckley said at a pre-fight news conference shortly after Holland’s.
“He put himself in scenarios and situations where you’ve got to step up and help other people who are in need. At the end of the day, my biggest thing is his personality as a person or whatever. When you meet him, it seems to come off genuine. He’s the type of dude to talk behind your back and all this other stuff. It’s just fake to me. Him beating me and stuff like that, at the end of the day, I just want to run it back. He said we would, but we never have. It’s been two (or) three years now.”
The two will be featured on the main card of UFC on ESPN 37 but not against veach other. Holland will take on veteran Tim Means while Buckley will face the 15-3 Albert Duraev.