Kurt Holobaugh Eying a Win

Holobaugh is seeking his first win in the Octagon in nearly a year

Kurt Holobaugh is looking to regain the form that won his The Ultimate Fighter.

Kruschewsky at the Apex, Holobaugh will fight to win his first fight in 11 months.

“Being on the main card of UFC Fight Night, that’s a lot of excitement,” said Holobaugh. “I’m not content. I’m here to win fights. I need to win this fight, and I have a good opponent to get that done.”

Holobaugh (20-8, 1 NC) won The Ultimate Fighter a year ago, defeating Austin Hubbard with a triangle choke at UFC 292 last August. He had a longer layoff than expected after that, and he was humbled in a loss to Trey Ogden in March.

Kurt Holobaugh won TUF in 2023 / Zuffa LLC

Now Holobaugh seeks to get back on track in the lightweight division. Kruschewsky (15-2) enters a slight favorite, and he is a threat both standing and on the ground.

“I had a really good training camp,” said Holobaugh. “I didn’t have the performance I was looking for against Trey, so I tried to do a few things different for this fight.”

Holobaughs coach on TUF was Michael Chandler. Despite considerable time passing since the season ended, Chandler is still awaiting his fight against the elusive McGregor.

“I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet,” said Holobaugh. “All the animosity and all the drama from the show, you’d have thought they would have fought already.

“Hopefully that’s a fight we get to see. That’s a fight the fans deserve to see. And I’ll always pull for Mike. I built a relationship with him that will last a lifetime. Hopefully he can go out there and get the job done.”

Holobaugh noted that Chandler and his team still keep in touch, offering advice and encouragement. He’ll seek to regain the same fearless he had during TUF, especially in the finals, when he was dominant in victory.

“Expect to see the same guy you saw in the TUF finals,” said Holobaugh. “I’m looking for that finish. I’ll take the fight to him, and I plan on getting my hand raised.”

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