Kevin Holland fought Khamzat Chimaev in the welterweight co-main event at UFC 279. Chimaev was originally slated to face Nate Diaz in the main event, and Holland would face Daniel Rodriguez in a catchweight bout. However, after Chimaev’s weight miss, and the subsequent reshuffling of the card, he fought Holland on the night.

The lead-up to UFC 279 was a roller coaster ride. The pre-fight press conference had to be canceled at the last minute after a backstage scuffle. In a recent interview, Holland gave more insight into what ignited the brawl backstage.

Kevin Holland opens up about UFC 279 backstage brawl

Holland and ‘Borz’ had been beefing for some time before UFC 279. When the pair met backstage at the UFC 279 press conference, they exchanged heated words that ended with an all-out brawl breaking out. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Holland gave his account of the altercation with the Swedish fighter.

Holland said that he told Chimaev, “Don’t step in my bubble… in my personal space.” Holland admitted to pushing Chimaev, who returned fire with a push kick that landed. According to Holland, it messed up his Burberry garments, which enraged him.

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“Chimaev keeps whopping my a**. I might want to stay away from that guy.”

5 Things You Must Know About Kevin Holland

Holland was candid while narrating the events to Helwani. He seems to have put the whole thing behind him. Chimaev and ‘Trailblazer’ buried their hatchet in the cage after the main event. However, Holland declined Chimaev’s invitation to train together.

Holland set to face ‘Wonderboy’ in December

The 29-year-old made the headlines recently with his decision to retire. The announcement came a few weeks after his submission loss to Chimaev at UFC 279. Holland said that he was officially retired from fighting after having a good fight, a good run, and a good payday.

Fans met ‘Trailblazer’s’ announcement with skepticism and their belief proved right. The UFC recently announced a welterweight main event between Kevin Holland and Stephen ‘Wonderboy‘ Thompson for UFC Orlando on December 3. The announcement brought Holland’s retirement story to a conclusion.

This announcement was welcome news for fans who consider this a good stylistic match-up. Both Holland and ‘Wonderboy’ are strikers who recently had trouble facing grapplers. After losing to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad in grappling-heavy matches, Thompson turned down Shavkat Rakhmonov and asked to fight a striker instead.

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Thompson will get exactly what he wished for in Kevin Holland. After a thought loss to Chimaev, a win against a veteran like ‘Wonderboy’ would help Holland bounce back. What are your thoughts on this bout? Let us know in the comments below.