Austin Spangler Coleman Concepts interview on Jeremy Holloway fight

The Austin Spangler Coleman Concepts interview with Brandon Coleman covered Spangler’s October 10 fight with Jeremy Holloway, the Shamrock title fight he had hoped to get instead, and why he wants MMA referees to act sooner on eye-poke warnings. Spangler also discussed his work with coaches Trey Ogden and Stephen Graham, the UFC heavyweight division, and how he judges grappling in high-profile fights.

Who is Austin Spangler fighting next, and what happened to his Shamrock title fight offer?

Austin Spangler said he is preparing to fight Jeremy Holloway on October 10 after an initial Shamrock title fight offer did not become a booking. According to Spangler, the champion told the promotion he would not be ready by October. Spangler welcomed Holloway as an experienced opponent and said the replacement was arranged quickly.

Why the title fight did not happen

Spangler said he was on a two-fight winning streak within Shamrock when the promotion first approached him about a title fight. He was disappointed when that opportunity fell through and made clear that he still wants to face the champion. His frustration, he stressed, was not directed at Holloway or the promotion.

Preparing for Jeremy Holloway

Holloway represents a step up in competition in Spangler’s view. He likes fighting veterans because their experience can make a matchup difficult and interesting. Holloway asked for a catchweight, and Spangler said the fight was being set for 160 pounds. He credited Shamrock with finding him a new opponent and handling the negotiations smoothly.

Another change has made this camp easier to plan: Spangler has been able to focus on one opponent throughout it. In recent camps, he said, pullouts left him preparing for two or three different fighters. Even so, he does not regard a late switch as a reason to panic. Spangler told Coleman:

I'm here to fight everybody on whatever notice

How is Austin Spangler training for the Jeremy Holloway fight?

Austin Spangler said his training camp combines extensive live rounds with daily technical drilling. He reported doing more than 100 live rounds across two weeks, but said that volume is useful only when he also develops new skills. His coaches Trey Ogden and Stephen Graham have spent considerable time with him on technique.

Live rounds and technical work

Spangler said a practice generally includes at least five live rounds, whether he is working in jiu-jitsu or MMA. That gives him at least 25 minutes of live work, alongside at least an hour of drilling beforehand. Earlier in the week he spoke to Coleman, he estimated that he had already completed 15 to 20 live rounds by Tuesday.

Rather than rely on what already works in sparring, he has been refining footwork, combinations, feints, takedown entries and ground sequences. Spangler said Ogden has taught him throughout his career and continues to bring him new techniques. He sees live training as the place to test and reinforce those lessons, not a substitute for learning them.

Strength and the 160-pound catchweight

Spangler said he feels better on his feet, cleaner in his takedowns and strong at his current weight. He told Coleman he typically walks around at about 168 to 170 pounds, making a move to 160 less demanding than a deeper cut. He has been eating well and said his coach has him taking creatine, which he associates with carrying some additional water weight.

That combination has left him confident about the Holloway matchup. Spangler believes he will be difficult for Holloway to handle if he establishes a hold and expects his own punches to carry more force. Those are his assessments before the fight, not claims about how it will unfold.

Why does Austin Spangler favor first-round finishes?

Austin Spangler said all of his finishes have come in the first round, and he prefers to end fights quickly if the opening is there. He sees a fast finish as evidence of technical advantage and a possible way to reach stronger matchups sooner, while remaining willing to fight through a difficult three-round contest.

He corrected Coleman’s recollection of his recent results, saying he had won the fight they previously discussed and was on a four-fight winning streak. Spangler placed his most recent loss in December 2024. Coleman raised his finishing rate, but Spangler’s answer focused on what those finishes mean to him rather than a precise percentage.

Spangler said he is not trying to prolong a fight for its own sake. An early finish lets him show who the better fighter is without taking unnecessary punches. He also believes continued first-round finishes could help him pursue an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. Still, he said he would welcome an opponent who forced him into a hard fight and would seek a finish just as urgently late in the third round.

What did Austin Spangler say about Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje and the lightweight division?

Austin Spangler argued that lightweight fighters should turn grappling control into meaningful attacks and finishes. Discussing Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje with Coleman, he questioned whether Topuria’s transitions and submission attempts had produced enough danger. He also praised the tactical preparation he saw from Gaethje and coach Trevor Wittman.

Topuria’s grappling and Gaethje’s tactics

Spangler’s criticism of Topuria was specific: reaching positions and moving between them did not, in his assessment, amount to effective submission grappling when those positions were not converted into a finish. He contrasted that with what he had seen from Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira against Gaethje. His point was about the effectiveness of the attacks, not whether Topuria could perform the transitions.

On the feet, Spangler singled out Gaethje showing his back shoulder before throwing a jab to draw a reaction. He credited Wittman with putting together the approach and Gaethje with executing it. More broadly, Spangler said he respects wrestling but wants fighters who establish control to use it to get opponents out of there.

Should Gaethje defend a title before retiring?

Asked what he would advise Gaethje about retirement and a possible defense against Arman Tsarukyan, Spangler said a champion should try to defend the belt rather than leave it vacant. He did not predict an easy defense; he said he did not see Gaethje beating Tsarukyan, though he acknowledged that Gaethje might. Spangler also recognized that the retirement decision belongs to Gaethje, whose career and circumstances he cannot experience for him.

What did Austin Spangler say about Ciryl Gane, Tom Aspinall and UFC heavyweights?

Austin Spangler called the UFC heavyweight division unusually weak at present, while saying it has the potential to recover. He viewed Alexander Volkov as a logical title challenger but said an existing booking complicated that path. Discussing Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall, Spangler also cautioned against judging Aspinall’s eye without knowing its medical condition.

Spangler recalled a time when even children who did not follow every division knew the heavyweight champion. He said the current field lacks obvious alternatives near the top. Although he considered Volkov a logical choice, he noted that Volkov was booked elsewhere; that left him seeing few compelling options beyond the challenger he and Coleman discussed.

As a potential matchup, Spangler expected Gane’s footwork, movement and body attacks to pose problems for an opponent trying to close distance with punches. He thought taking Gane down early would be important. Those were matchup opinions, not a claim that any proposed fight had been settled.

On Aspinall, Spangler drew a firm line between assessing a fighter and assessing an injury from outside the situation. He said he did not know how serious Aspinall’s eye problem was and that a fighter should not be blamed for staying out if a doctor says not to fight. He also criticized what he saw as Gane’s reluctance to accept responsibility for an eye poke, while declining to make that a judgment of Gane as a person.

Why does Austin Spangler want MMA referees to act sooner on eye pokes?

Austin Spangler said referees should warn fighters clearly about dangerous hand position and take a point if the behavior continues and leads to an eye poke. He wants officials to apply the same accountability to repeated fence grabs and other fouls, while still allowing a conscious fighter who is actively defending to continue.

Warnings, points and fighter safety

Spangler argued that officials sometimes give multiple warnings for the same foul without changing the consequence. In his view, a fighter who has been told to stop grabbing the fence should lose a point for doing it again. He applied that standard to himself: if he ignored a warning and grabbed the cage on a subsequent takedown, he said the penalty would be his responsibility.

Eye pokes concern him particularly because a referee can often see the hand position before contact occurs. Spangler said he would rather be told to raise his fingers and risk a point for ignoring the warning than have an official remain silent until someone is hurt. He said that despite his long reach, he has not poked an opponent in a fight and does not fight with his fingers pointed outward.

His argument was not that every knockdown demands an immediate stoppage. If a fighter goes down but remains active, moving and defending, Spangler said the referee should give that fighter a chance. He distinguished those moments from a fighter who is plainly unconscious and from fouls an official could have addressed before they caused harm.