Kevin Holland says two brutal low blows from Mike Malott at UFC Vancouver left him badly hurt and affected his performance in a unanimous decision loss at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
What happened in Vancouver
In the opening round, Holland was hit with a pair of low blows. The second shot put him down on the canvas and forced a full five-minute recovery period. He appeared momentarily unable to continue, but after the break he chose to get up and gave the go-ahead to restart the fight.
Holland finished the fight, but he lost by unanimous decision to Mike Malott.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Kevin Holland | Unanimous decision loss to Mike Malott at UFC Vancouver |
| Mike Malott | Unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland at UFC Vancouver |
How long the injury affected him
Holland told reporters the low blows had lingering effects for weeks. He said the first days were the worst. He could not drive his tractor or ride his horse after the fight. He also said it took about two weeks before he could start riding slowly again. By the fourth to sixth week, the pain felt more natural and his body began to recover.
Holland described the pain as serious and said the trauma stayed with him. He added that any time someone aims at that area now, he is cautious. He also compared the feeling to past incidents, noting Joaquin Buckley hit him in the groin a few times in an earlier fight.
Reaction and next steps
Holland was clear that the illegal strikes played a role in his performance that night. He said he did not want to continue after the second low blow but is glad he did. He described the experience as something that made him tougher and said he is using it as motivation in the gym.
At training, Holland has pushed his partners harder and joked that everyone now needs “iron nuts.” He said the incident has changed how he and his teammates handle groin strikes in sparring and has strengthened his resolve.
The loss is another setback for the veteran welterweight, who has had mixed results recently. Holland’s willingness to keep fighting while clearly compromised showed his warrior mentality, even if the illegal blows may have cost him the fight.
