Jacobe Smith says his problems with Kevin Holland could end in a fight that nobody books, sanctions or pays for. The unbeaten welterweight told Sherdog he expects an altercation with Holland, and he’s fine with it happening inside the UFC Octagon or out in public.
Sherdog ran the story this week and teased it on X with the eyeballs emoji, which is about as much detail as the post offered. The report has Smith eager to square off with Holland anywhere. It doesn’t lay out what started the feud, and Holland hasn’t publicly answered. No fight between the two is booked.
Smith has more pressing business. He meets Randy Brown in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 123 this Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, under a Renato Moicano vs. Tom Nolan headliner. Brown was originally set to face Carlos Leal. Smith stepped in on 12 days’ notice, per Yahoo Sports, less than a month after his last fight. I’ll always respect a guy who says yes to that phone call.
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That last fight was a TKO of Bruce Whitehead at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3. Before that he ran through Josiah Harrell. MMA Mania lists Smith at 13-0 in one preview and 12-0 in another, so pick your number. The part everyone agrees on is the zero, plus a 4-0 UFC run with every win a finish. He wrestled at Oklahoma State, and Daniel Cormier talked him up on the Whitehead broadcast as part of his fight team. MMA Mania’s X-Factor preview names Niko Price as his best win.
Brown is the biggest step up Smith has seen. “Rude Boy” is 36, has 22 UFC fights and carries a six-inch reach advantage into Saturday. He’s also lost two straight, a knee knockout against Gabriel Bonfim followed by a decision loss in April to, yes, Kevin Holland. Yahoo has him dropping three of his last four. He did knock out Nicolas Dalby last year.
The books like Smith heavily. MMA Mania’s props piece has him at -278 with Brown at +225, and the X-Factor preview lists Smith at -220 and Brown at +185. Both MMA Mania and Yahoo pick Smith by stoppage.
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Holland sits No. 14 at 170 in MMA Mania’s Meta Rankings, a name with enough juice to be worth chasing for a guy who’s beaten mostly regional imports so far.
My take: Smith has a cleaner case to make than any parking-lot threat. Holland needed all 15 minutes to get past Brown in April. If Smith gets Brown out of there inside the distance on Saturday, he can point at the tape, ask why Trailblazer couldn’t do the same and let matchmakers handle the rest. Talking about a hotel lobby scrap the week of your co-main is the riskier play. A knockout of Holland’s last opponent on Halloween night makes the callout a lot louder.
