If you look up the word ‘mercurial’ in the dictionary, you will find a picture of Kevin Holland. We’re, of course, joking, but we’re using that word to describe the unexpected nature of Kevin Holland’s recent UFC appearances. The UFC star proved this yet again with his largely unexpected unanimous decision win over Gunnar Nelson at their UFC London clash on Saturday. A much-needed win for ‘Trailblazer’, who was 1-4 coming into the Nelson fight, this win was especially good since it came against a grappler of Icelandic fighter’s caliber.

The American is from the Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone school of thought and fights every chance he gets and does so at two different weight classes (170 and 185). That may be one of the reasons why he is so inconsistent. But legendary boxing coach and Mike Tyson‘s former instructor, Teddy Atlas thinks that the main reason for Holland’s inconsistency is he is just not strong enough mentally.

“I think he’s an up and down guy for a reason. What we just finished talking about—this part—the attic, the upstairs, right, the mental part. 75% of it’s mental. I just think Holland is up and down mentally. If he could get himself steady or whether you want to call it confidence, whether you want to call it belief in himself [or] whatever,” the former coach said on his ‘The Fight with Teddy Atlas’ podcast.

“Whatever you want to go into to account for the mental area. If he could be consistent—when he’s right mentally, he is a difficult guy. He’s a really good striker, he’s that wirey guy you just talked about that has power, that can punch. He’s really gifted at this, really good at the striking and he’s learned how to defend the takedowns pretty damn good,” he added.

Indeed, Holland is a very effective striker and has sharpened his grappling, as was apparent against Nelson. The Icelander is an excellent grappler and holds the record for the most submissions in welterweight history, and yet ‘Trailblazer’ was able to handle the ground pressure and do some real damage with his dynamic striking. In addition, Atlas feels that the American has all the attributes needed to be a real superstar, while Joe Rogan feels he could fight for the title if he does one thing.

Teddy Atlas and Joe Rogan bullish on Kevin Holland after UFC London

“I really like Holland. I think he’s a talented fighter, I think he’s got a great personality I think he’s a guy that’s hard not to like. He’s very intelligent, I love the way that he just treats his opponents, the way he talks, the way he presents himself. To me he’s a guy that’s a natural guy to to just cheer for, to root for,” Atlas said.

And indeed, except for his recent appearance on ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s podcast, which was a bit awkward, Kevin Holland is a pretty intelligent, well-spoken, and perceivably down-to-earth guy liked by most MMA fans. This is why many, including Joe Rogan, want him to stay at 170 for a bit, where he looked remarkably good against Nelson.

“That’s [170 pounds is] his spot. He’s got legit championship potential. How about a rematch with him and Joaquin Buckley at 170? That would be crazy, you know. Bro, he’s a monster at 170. He’s a monster,” Rogan said on JRE Fight Companion for UFC London. What do you think about Teddy Atlas’ take on Kevin Holland’s mental strength?