Kevin Holland reacts to Joaquin Buckley’s recent heel turn, GSP fight comments

Kevin Holland scolded former UFC middleweight foe Joaquin Buckley for his recent declaration that he would beat a prime Georges St-Pierre.

Holland will move back up to middleweight for a short-notice clash with Michał Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302 on Saturday. He returns to the Octagon and the middleweight division after a loss to Michael ‘Venom’ Page at UFC 299 in March.

Holland’s UFC career began in the middleweight division and included a one-punch knockout of Buckley in Aug. 2020. The win was part of a five-victory streak in 2020 that tied the UFC record for most wins in a calendar year.

Since then, Buckley and Holland have both improved as fighters since moving down to welterweight. Buckley, who most recently defeated Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC St. Louis, claimed he would beat a 30-year-old St-Pierre if they fought in the cage.

Buckley’s wild take has been mocked by fellow fighters, including Cub Swanson, in recent days. Holland has added his name to the fighters who have blasted Buckley for his stance on a fantasy matchup with St-Pierre.

Kevin Holland welcomes potential Joaquin Buckley rematch after GSP comments

During his UFC 302 media day press conference, Holland ripped apart Buckley for his controversial take.

“That dude’s on [cocaine] if he thinks he can beat GSP,” Holland said of Buckley. “If the dude can’t beat me, how the f*** is he gonna beat GSP? That being said, I think Buckley is doing really good at welterweight. Probably should stay at welterweight. But if he ever wants to put himself back in a casket, he can always come see me…

“If the UFC wants to get rid of that boy, they know what the kryptonite is.”

As of this writing, Buckley hasn’t responded to Holland’s remarks on his social media pages.

A Holland vs. Buckley rematch could make a lot of sense if they both climb the welterweight Top 15. Holland hasn’t committed to staying at 185lbs win-or-lose at UFC 302.

The former middleweight rivals Holland and Buckley will likely never fully see eye-to-eye. While Buckley and St-Pierre will never fight, Holland feels his former foe’s stance is foolish.