"He almost f***ed up the Burberry" - Kevin Holland gives his side of the story on UFC 279 backstage brawl with Khamzat Chimaev, says he plans on staying away from 'Borz'
Kevin Holland recently detailed the backstage melee that ensued during the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference. Narrating his side of the story, Holland added that he plans on staying away from Khamzat Chimaev in the future.
The UFC 279 press conference took a topsy-turvy turn when several fighters on the card got into physical altercations. This eventually led to the press conference being canceled.
The event took another major hit when 'Borz' missed weight, which forced him out of the headliner clash against Nate Diaz. Kevin Holland filled in as a last-minute replacement to fight Chimaev.
Describing his account of what transpired in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, 'Trailblazer' revealed that his actions were triggered after Chimaev messed with a prized piece of the American's attire:
"I pushed Chimaev, Chimaev threw a push kick [and] it hit me and I got mad because he almost f**ked up the Burberry. You know, you can’t mess with a man’s Burberry, so I got a little pissed off. I told him don’t step in my bubble, my personal space. Remember the last time we were in each other’s personal space he pushed me so I pushed him."
Holland added that he plans on staying away from 'Borz':
"Long story short, Chimaev just keeps whooping my a** so I might want to stay away from that guy. That's why I was going to stay retired so I can post all the memes that I want."
Unfortunately for Holland, things did not go his way at UFC 279 as Chimaev dominated him for a quick first-round submission victory.
Watch the interview from the 7:10-minute mark below:
Kevin Holland talks about Khamzat Chimaev's fake glove touch
During their fight at UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev bypassed a glove touch in the opening sequence and shot for a takedown on Kevin Holland instead. The move antagonized the MMA community who labeled it as 'unsportsmanlike conduct'.
To Kevin Holland's credit, he stuffed the takedown brilliantly and engaged in high-level scrambles, but Chimaev's relentless pressure proved too much for him.
Speaking about the incident in the aforementioned interview, 'Trailblazer' agreed that Chimaev ignored what was a glove touch but admitted that he should have been more careful:
"Anybody who thinks that I'm going to block a jab this high in the freaking air.... I mean, that's a discredit to my striking, until I beat Wonderboy. We'll decide how good my striking is after that. But, it’s my fault. Protect yourself at all times, I didn't protect myself at all times."
Kevin Holland will return to the octagon after his short-lived retirement against Stephen Thompson at UFC Orlando on December 3, 2022. The matchup makes for an exciting clash between two of the finest strikers in the division.