Kevin Holland Nickname ‘Trailblazer’: How It Earned Him His UFC Contract

Kevin Holland is often referred to as one of those fighters who never ceases to put on a show whenever he’s inside the Octagon. With 26 phenomenal victories in his professional MMA career since turning pro in 2015, the UFC middleweight star has set his sights on adding another win to his record against Dutch newcomer Reinier de Ridder at UFC 311.

While he gets ready for his upcoming match-up, let’s take a step back and unwrap some lesser-known facts about the UFC welterweight, including his exploits outside the Octagon. Kevin Holland has a couple of nicknames, just like other UFC fighters, so let’s take a deep dive into that aspect and discover their meanings and origins.

Why is Kevin Holland called ‘Trailblazer’?

The nickname that Kevin Holland currently goes by is ‘Trailblazer.’ That moniker is also the one that legendary announcer Bruce Buffer mentions while introducing him during fights. The literal definition of a ‘Trailblazer,’ is an individual who leads the way, an innovator, and someone who paves the way for others. At the outset, one may assume that is the reason he kept his nickname, but there is more to it than meets the eye.

As per several reports, he uses this nickname because it reflects his fighting style. The UFC middleweight contender, who also fought as a welterweight, is primarily a striker, but not just any regular striker. He is fluid, fast, and has a great striking acumen. One may make a case for him to be an innovator, as he is very creative on his feet.

But in case you think that Holland’s on-court skills are the sole reason for his nickname, you’d be wrong. There are a few instances where the middleweight contender sets an example for the public. Back in October 2021, the mixed martial artist helped the police by stopping an alleged carjacker in his neighborhood. March 2022 witnessed the second instance of the fighter’s heroics, as he stopped a shooting at a restaurant in Houston. He subdued the perpetrator with a rear-naked choke. And just a couple of months later, ‘Trailblazer’ successfully rescued a man from an overturned tractor-trailer.

On the other hand, Kevin Holland is one of the few fighters who troll and talk incessantly to their opponents while fighting, and that led him to garner another nickname, which is ‘Big Mouth’. Why? Dana White thought it was fitting.

Dana White gives Kevin Holland his nickname ‘Big Mouth’

It was in 2022 when Kevin Holland gained some fans after his ability to lay down a verbal onslaught on his opponents came to light. Obviously, trash-talking is part of the game, but the middleweight star used to verbally talk to his opponent mid-fight. After one of those matchups, Dana White called labeled him as ‘Big Mouth,’ for that reason.

Did Kevin Holland take his boss’s comments to heart? Well, he didn’t, claiming that it was an accurate representation of his personality, and decided to keep that nickname. In an interview, he said, “I think it’s cool. You don’t choose your nicknames they’re granted to you. When I was younger, ‘Trailblazer’ was granted to me, so I ran with it. ‘Big Mouth’ was granted to me by Dana White. You run with it.” This instance goes to show that the American UFC fighter is unapologetically himself and that is what separates him from the rest.

True to the nickname bestowed upon him by the UFC head honcho, there have been several instances of Kevin Holland’s ‘Big Mouth’ persona coming into play. Let’s take a look at some of those incidents.

‘Big Mouth’ lives up to his name; trash talk moments

Well, one of Kevin Holland’s most memorable trash-talk moments took place at UFC 256. He took on Jacare Souza in late 2022 and during that fight, he found himself pinned on the ground by his opponent and got hit with a punch, to which he responded by saying, “That was nice.” What was even hilarious is that thereafter, Holland would tell Souza that he “had a dream” while fighting inside the Octagon.

That trash talk apparently did him no harm, as the 32-year-old would score a rare first-round KO shortly after with a flurry of strikes he threw from the bottom position. “I was telling Jacare about a dream and then all of a sudden, I gave him a nightmare,” Holland stated on UFC Connected.

Another such instance of trash talk took place when Kevin Holland took on Argentine contender, Santiago Ponzinibbio, at UFC 287. While he won that fight as well, Holland also lived up to his ‘Big Mouth’ name when he asked his opponent one of the most bizarre and unexpected questions, that too, in a fight. “Do you smell w–d?” This question was quick to make the commentators chuckle while they were calling the fight.

As the wheels of time turn, ‘Big Mouth’ gets ready to take on a newcomer who’s a bit older than he is. How do you see the fight going? Also, bearing the above revelations in mind, do you think Holland is going to use his trash-talking skills in this fight as well? Drop your comments below.