The UFC Vancouver tournament could have ended badly for Mike Malott after he committed multiple fouls during his fight against Kevin Holland.
Malott had mixed feelings about his bout with Holland, but one thing was certain, his win was well-deserved. However, many fans believe he had an advantage after landing a few low blows on his opponent. During the fight, Malott struck Holland with a groin shot that dropped him to the canvas. Fortunately, Holland was able to recover and continue. The bout could have ended differently if Holland had stayed down, but he quickly got back to his feet. For Malott, those few moments with Holland on the canvas felt tense and uncertain.
“The only thing that had me concerned was when they brought the doctor in and the doctor turned to the ref and said, ‘[Holland’s] not giving me a definitive answer,’” Malott said at the post-fight press conference. “I was like,
‘No, come on. Don’t. Because of that? No way, man.’ I didn’t think that was a bad shot. OK, it brushed the cup, I’m sure it hurt—it doesn’t feel great—but come on, man, no way. Please don’t let this be the reason this ends. We’re going to have to run this back because of a groin shot? Get out of here. Luckily, he’s a gamer. He’s tough. He’s down to keep going, so good on him for continuing.”
When asked where his head was during the break, Malott revealed he tried to stay focused while replaying the incident in his head.
“I was just focused on the fight,” he said. “Keep moving around a little bit, don’t get too cold, don’t get too hyped or frustrated about stuff you can’t control. We both threw kicks at the same time, and one of mine went low first. My knee hit him in the hip, and my shin brushed his cup. I’ve got to watch it back—maybe I’m crazy—but I swear my knee hit his hip right above the beltline. He’s just so tall—dude’s all limbs. His hips are so high it’s hard to get that knee up, so I’m sure my shin hit him in the groin, and I bet it hurt. I don’t think he was being dramatic.”
“He’s a chaotic guy,” Malott added. “Is he doing that because he wants me to rush in and do something stupid so he can rip a right hand and knock me out? Is he playing possum? Can he just not continue? I don’t know. Maybe I should have gotten on him a little bit more, but whatever—hindsight’s 20/20.”
Mike Malott is now 6-1 in the UFC, with three straight wins since his disappointing loss to Neil Magny at UFC 297 in Toronto. His recent victory moves him higher up the contender ladder and cements his place as one of the division’s rising names.
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