"He's gonna give everybody problems" - Kevin Holland believes Khamzat Chimaev could soon fight for the UFC welterweight title
Kevin Holland feels welterweight sensation Khamzat Chimaev will fight for the title in the 170-pound division with just one more victory.
Chimaev has finished all four of his fights in the UFC, the last three of which were in the very first round. He won the 'Performance of the Night' bonus award all four times as well. Several MMA fans and pundits believe 'Borz' could give UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman a tough time inside the octagon if they face off in the future.
Speaking to journalist Helen Yee, Holland stressed that no one can doubt Khamzat Chimaev now, having seen his dominant win over Li Jingliang at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi:
"I think he is big for welterweight. You know what I mean? He's gonna give everybody problems. Like the way he went through Li Jingliang. Man, that was crazy! So it is like if you doubted him before that, it's kind of hard to doubt him after that. So yeah, I think he is doing pretty good. We were talking about it, me and my manager, and then me and one of my coaches. And honestly I really, really think that he gets straight to the title. One more win and he gets a title shot. Motherf***er just ragdolls people. So it would be good to see," said Holland.
Watch Kevin Holland in conversation with Helen Yee below:
Chimaev is 10-0 in his professional MMA career and has fought in the middleweight division too.
Kevin Holland is winless in 2021 after a record breaking 2020
The No.12-ranked UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland racked up five UFC victories in 2020. It was the most in a single year in the MMA promotion's history. Neil Magny and Roger Huerta are the other two fighters to have achieved this feat.
However, Holland hasn't had a single win this year. He's suffered defeats at the hands of top-five middleweight contenders Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori and had a no-contest with the unranked Kyle Daukaus.
Kevin Holland has suffered an injury and is out of his #UFCVegas42 rematch with Kyle Daukaus. 🤕
Full details: bit.ly/3pJNcBp https://t.co/40afMd51mn
Kevin Holland and Daukaus were scheduled to feature in a rematch at UFC Fight Night 197 last weekend. Unfortunately the 'Trailblazer' had to withdraw from the bout due to an injury.