Kevin Holland will never forget the first UFC he ever attended.
Nearly six years before he would make his professional mixed martial arts debut, the future middleweight contender sat in the crowd at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia where he watched Anderson Silva put on a dazzling showcase to finish Forrest Griffin in the first round.
Silva was no stranger to highlight reel performances but the way he ducked and dodged Griffin’s punches and then made him pay with a deadly striking game rarely seen in the sport was something Holland will never forget.