KEY POINTS

  • UFC's Kevin Holland and his friend take down a gunman in a Houston restaurant
  • Nobody was hurt in the incident, including Holland and his pal
  • The UFC crowd favorite wants the public to learn a lesson

A UFC star happened to be in the right place and at the right time.

At around 11:30 pm on Monday, Mach 14, a panic alarm was triggered after a gunman randomly opened fire at “RA Sushi” restaurant in the Highland Park neighborhood of Houston.

Mixed martial arts fighter Kevin Holland--who currently competes in the UFC--and his pal Patrick Robinson were inside the establishment when the shooting incident happened.

The pair quickly sprung into action and assertively subdued the gunman.

Responding officer and Houston Police Department Sgt. Ricardo Salas said there were about 40 to 50 people inside the restaurant. Fortunately, no one was injured after the shooting, per MMA Junkie.

Holland posted about the incident on social media. The 29-year-old and his friend appeared to be totally fine.

Reflecting on the incident on his Instagram story, “Trailblazer” sent an important reminder to the public.

“I laugh a lot even when things aren’t funny,” he wrote in his story. “I smile when I should frown. Super blessed and thankful to see today. Kiss ya kids, hug ya family and treat random people with care. You never know what a mfer may be going through.”

Holland had just made his welterweight debut at UFC 272 against Alex Oliveira earlier this month. He won the fight and said he would stay in the division if the promotion says so.

“I’m whatever the UFC tells me to do, that’s what I’m going to do,” Holland told BT Sport. “So if they say I gotta stay at 170 pounds, I stay at 170 pounds. If they give me the opportunity to fight guys still at '85 [185 pounds], I would gladly still fight guys at '85. If they told me I had to cut off my leg and go even lower, I would cut off a leg and go even lower. If they told me I had to grab extra cojones and go higher, I’d grab extra cojones and go higher. It’s whatever they tell me to do, I like to believe I’m a company man.”

In 2020, Holland pulled off an incredible run in the UFC and fought five times in a span of just eight month.

He’s hoping to do it again this year.

“Honestly, I would like to do five [fights] again,” he admitted. “That's my type of year, four [fights]. I can't see myself doing nothing less than three [fights]. [Three fights] To me is a bad year, four is a decent. Anything five and more is great year."

Kevin Holland
Kevin Holland punches John Phillips during their UFC fight in 2018. Getty Images / Jeff Bottari
RELATED STORIES