“That’s bulls***” – Michael Bisping RUBBISHES Kevin Holland’s retirement claims
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Michael Bisping (L) is not buying into Kevin Holland's (R) retirement talk
Kevin Holland has announced his retirement from MMA. This is shocking news, given that Holland was crowned ”Fighter of the Year” by the UFC in 2020, and is just 30.
However, the backdrop of his retirement will probably demystify some, if not all the doubts surrounding why a fighter in his prime might choose to do so. The argument to be made in Holland’s case is the fact that after he got rag-dolled to defeat by Khamzat Chimaev, he does not have the fire burning within him to charge for the title. Or, the money he made by accepting the fight on short notice has satiated his desire to compete.
All the arguments in his favour cannot deflate the main argument against his call for retirement – that being, he has what it takes to be a bonafide star for the promotion.
One of the naysayers of his decision is Michael Bisping. On his podcast, Believe You Me, Bisping gave his insight regarding the situation. The veteran fighter said, “That’s bulls***. Kevin Holland is a great fighter, he’s very well-known, he was the 2020 Fighter of the Year. He’s a fan favorite, he’s making money.”, discussing why it doesn’t make sense for someone adored by the fans to just quit.
He added, “I don’t think he’s retiring at all. I don’t know what he’s playing at. Fighters do this. Conor McGregor famously always does that. He loves to tease his retirement.”
Michael Bisping delves deep into Kevin Holland’s current mind frame
The reason why Michael Bisping is a voice of authority in the MMA community is because of the insight he usually provides into fighter psychology. While, for the fans, it might just be a question of seeing them compete for 15-25 minutes twice or thrice a year, what the fighter endures every day is a completely separate ordeal.
Speaking about it, he said, “The reality is, when you lose a fight — and that was a big fight with a lot of spotlight on it — against a guy like Khamzat Chimaev, and you get beaten … maybe he’s going through a period of depression right now. Maybe he’s deflated — deflated would be a better word.”
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He’s a great fighter with a tremendous amount of opportunity and maybe he’s gone out there and fought Khamzat and thought, ‘S***, wow. That fact that he ragdolled me like that,’ which, with respect, is kind of what happened — maybe he’s just going through a little soul-searching right now. Who knows? But I’ve been there. Lot’s of fighters go through those kind of periods.”, he continued.
Being someone who has faced tremendous adversity himself, including getting his eye injured to an extent where it did not function anymore, Michael Bisping has been there and done it all. We must also remember that he bounced back to win the middleweight title, against Luke Rockhold. Asking Holland to be optimistic; he said that as a fighter, one must say to oneself, “Right, OK, I’ve got work to do. I’ve realized I have deficiencies in certain areas, and I’m going to fight. This is what I’m good at. This is what I was born to do, this is what I am destined to be.”
Kevin Holland has everything that it takes to be a star. He is loved by the fans and Dana White (which is a rare combo!) and also has phenomenal talent. As Bisping said, sticking to his guns and riding out the bumps will only help develop him into a better version of himself.
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)