Brunson and Holland (right)(image via YouTube)

By FCF Staff

During Kevin Holland’s clear-cut, decision loss to Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22, the fighter may have made it sound like he was having a good time. But, UFC President Dana White believes the middleweight broke under pressure.

Holland has forged a reputation for talking and smiling during fights, and the contender took it up a notch on Saturday. After the bout, which saw Brunson take Holland down six times and record a decision win, White had this to say about Holland (quote via Yahoo Sports).

“I think that was a mental breakdown,” White said. “The only other thing I saw like it was [in boxing] when Lennox Lewis fought that guy [Oliver McCall] who kept his hands at his side and was crying. I don’t know what he was doing. I think he might not have been able to handle the pressure and just broke mentally. I haven’t seen anything like that.”

Holland was also seen speaking to White during the fight, cageside. When asked if the fighter was complaining at one point, about the Octagon floor being slippery, White said this.

“He wasn’t b****ing about anything; He thought everybody in here was his friend and he was just out having some fun.”

Holland (21-5) had won five in a row prior to facing Brunson (21-7). The latter extended his winning streak to four with the victory.