- Professional fighter
Kevin Holland has beaten up two online trolls this year. - But becoming internet-famous for that has had an adverse effect.
LAS VEGAS — American fighter Kevin Holland is known for two things — kicking ass and becoming internet-famous for beating-up online trolls.
The UFC welterweight competes Saturday against Alex Oliveira at the ESPN pay-per-view
Ahead of the big show, Holland told reporters at a media event Insider attended Wednesday that fighting trolls in his gym had an adverse effect as he's now getting even more trolls in his DMs.
"They start trolling even more!" he said.
It's a uniquely weird phenomenon, and it seemingly all began earlier this year.
ESPN reported in January that Holland had been receiving messages for months from Jayden Parker, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner who claimed he could submit the fighter.
Finally, Holland accepted Parker's challenge. He paid for some travel expenses and invited him into his gym before promptly making him tap to a chokehold.
"Bottom line, people were saying things they shouldn't be saying," Holland told ESPN.
"And they pull up to the gym, and they finally get what they deserve. That's just how it goes. Respect is big. Respect the athlete, respect the sport, respect the people that entertain you. Simple as that."
Weeks later, in mid-February, Holland took out his second internet troll with a barrage of body kicks. "Honestly, I liked this troll way more," he said at the time.
Watch the beatdown right here (scroll right):
But even though he dealt with these two particular trolls in public, others kept coming for him.
Beating up trolls "was the wrong answer on my behalf," Holland conceded this week. "I got my work cut out for me."
As for his fight this weekend, against a legitimate combatant rather than a cyberbully, Holland called Oliveira "an OG, a legend, and I'm very happy to be fighting him."
He said: "I knew I had to continue working on the grappling because that's what everybody expects to be my downfall, but I also know he's a good striker.
"I've been watching him for a while. It kept me motivated to work that as well."
Elsewhere on the main card, Greg Hardy fights Sergey Spivak at heavyweight, Edson Barboza takes on fast-rising featherweight Bryce Mitchell, and Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal get the chance to end their bitter rivalry for good.