Jay Patel
Kevin Holland issued an apology to Donald Trump following his first-round submission victory over Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302.
The fight, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, saw Holland survive a knockdown before securing an armbar that injured Oleksiejczuk’s arm, prompting referee Herb Dean to stop the fight at 1:34 of the first round. After the victory, Holland jumped over the Octagon to speak directly to Trump, who was present at the event.
Holland explained that the apology was for not greeting Trump during a previous occasion. He noted that his priority is typically to speak with UFC executives seated cage-side immediately after his fights.
This time, Holland made a point to address Trump to make up for the earlier perceived snub. Holland’s instinct to engage with UFC personnel first is driven by the fact that UFC President Dana White and Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell are the ones who sign his paychecks.
The earlier incident Holland referred to took place at UFC 287 in April 2023. At this event, Israel Adesanya secured a knockout victory over Alex Pereira, avenging his three previous losses.
Holland also fought on the same card, delivering a third-round knockout win over Santiago Ponzinibbio. After his victory, Holland leaped over the Octagon to speak with Dana White, despite Trump being seated next to the UFC CEO.
Trump is known for attending major UFC events, and his presence at UFC 287 was notable. Holland’s decision to address Trump post-fight at UFC 302 highlighted his awareness of the former President’s attendance and his desire to rectify what he saw as a previous oversight.
This move underscored Holland’s respect for significant figures in the audience, balancing his obligations to UFC executives and acknowledging high-profile attendees.
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