Jacobe Smith vows to 'murder' Kevin Holland after second UFC 332 withdrawal forces camp chaos

Jacobe Smith stopped late-replacement Bruce Whitehead in just 92 seconds at UFC 332 on Saturday, but it was his post-fight words — aimed squarely at the absent Kevin Holland — that made the bigger impact.

Holland had been booked to face Smith twice, first in July and then again at UFC 332, before withdrawing on both occasions with a foot injury. The frustration boiled over when Smith learned that Holland had since accepted a new bout against Uros Medic at UFC 334 next month.

“I want to kill Kevin Holland. I want to murder Kevin Holland,” Smith said after the fight. “He put me through two fight camps. I’m setting up my life outside of fighting, too, and for me to put that on pause to set up a fight, and then you cancel the fight week and get us to reschedule — you accepted two times, and then you don’t show up to Utah. Your foot’s still hurt, but you’re accepting fights with other dudes. You better hope Uros Medic gets your ass out of there, because if you win, I’m coming for you.”

Smith had entered the bout expecting a different kind of finish against Whitehead, but adapted quickly when the canvas proved slippery. “I was expecting a finish, kind of a walk-off knockout, but it was slick in there, so I had to get him to the ground and do what I did,” he said. “It was a great night tonight.”

The win marks Smith’s fourth inside the UFC, and he made clear the result was never in doubt regardless of the opponent. “I knew what I got to give, and not too many can withstand what I’ve got when I’m ready to send that storm out there,” he added.

With Holland now lined up against Medic at UFC 334, Smith is watching closely. Should Holland get past Medic, Smith has already served notice of what comes next — and if a different opponent materialises instead, his message remains the same: “You’re gonna have to be ready to f*cking fight if you think you’re gonna step into the cage with Jacobe and make it a full 15 minutes.”