LAS VEGAS – Loud and clear, it was a family affair for Kurt Holobaugh since he won on Saturday in UFC on ESPN 60.
Like Holobaugh (21-8 MMA, 2-5 UFC) defeated Kaynan Kruschewsky (15-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous decision at UFC Apex, his wife and two children audibly cheered him on.
“I can definitely hear them and that’s how they are in the gym when I’m fighting,” Holobaugh told MMA Junkie and other reporters in a post-fight press conference on Saturday. “My youngest is always trying to shout instructions and do spin kicks and stuff like that. It’s always fun, but I love it.”
Holobaugh said it was the first time his children were able to watch him fight for the promotion from cageside, as the promotion recently implemented a new policy where each fighter gets four cageside seats for their UFC Apex fight.
The family’s energy comes from their passion for their father and husband, but also for sport. Holobaugh says his kids have been going to the gym since before they could walk — literally.
“Our youngest son is four years old,” Holobaugh said. “My wife and I own two mixed martial arts gyms. From the first day he was born we went back to work. So we brought his crib to the gym. He’s at the gym every day. He has been training jiu-jitsu since he could literally walk. There are videos of him training jiu-jitsu when he started walking. He still trains jiu-jitsu and competes all over the world. He competed in Las Vegas a few weeks ago.”
UFC 292 ceremonial weigh-in: Kurt Holobaugh’s children shake Dana White’s hand on stage in Boston.
While Holobaugh is the first of his surname to compete in the UFC, he may not be the last. Holobaugh’s 13-year-old son, Zayden, has competed in eight youth MMA fights. His four-year-old son, Raiden, is a little TikTok sensation.
“All my children fight, even my 13-year-old son. He has had eight fights inside the cage since he was 13 years old. But my four-year-old son, he does a lot of competitions. We posted a video and it went viral. There were fighters like Jon Jones and all the big names talking about it. Then he became famous on TikTok. He has around 30,000 followers on TikTok who also follow his journey. This is just another great part of his journey and it’s amazing.”
There are still years to go before another Holobaugh potentially steps into the UFC. So for now, Holobaugh intends to continue making his kids the cool kids in school.
“I think it’s special,” Holobaugh said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for kids to do this. I feel like that’s why I love doing what I do so much. It’s because of my children. I feel like they become the cool kids at school. They go to school and say, ‘Hey, my dad’s in the UFC or ‘My dad just won ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ He fights on TV. Now, my kids can actually come watch a UFC event cageside, basically. How many kids in your school wish they could go to a UFC event. I feel like we are very blessed with these opportunities.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 60.
