Kevin Holland

UFC 279's Kevin Holland doesn't like to sit around waiting – or "warm the b*tch," as he calls it. Saturday, he fights Daniel Rodriguez.

I like to stay active. I feel like you guys are talking about, ‘He has better boxing.’ I feel like he has sh*tty street boxing. “I like to stay active. I guess I was just a backup fighter for a lot of people. The UFC then looked at Holland vs. [Daniel Rodriguez](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/daniel-rodriguez) came with just a fight in general – not the specific opponent.

Daniel Rodriguez is excited to return to the octagon for the first time in over a year to squash a beef with Kevin Holland at UFC 279.

“They could’ve asked me to fight f****** anybody and I would’ve said yes, but luck of the draw right there,” Rodriguez said. The 35-year-old has won three straight, and six of seven octagon appearances, which includes a dominant decision win against [Mike Perry](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3801/mike-perry) at UFC Vegas 21 in April 2021. “[The headline will read] D-Rod’s comeback, he went out there and dominated,” Rodriguez said. I accept the challenge in every way, but I just didn’t like how he was calling me out when I was injured and I couldn’t do s*** about it. I’m 100 percent now and I accept the challenge.” 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC fighter Kevin Holland has questioned the media antics of UFC 279 headliner Khamzat Chimaev.

Dude on the left is a bitch, dude on the right is a bitch and dude in the middle, he’s definitely a bitch, you know what I mean?” You want a pay check just like the rest of these guys around here.” [Khamzat Chimaev](https://www.givemesport.com/khamzat-chimaev) has been viewed as the next big thing in the world of mixed martial arts, and rightly so. When you guys are around then all of a sudden he’s like ‘argh, I’ll rip your f***ing head off’. When you guys aren’t around he wants to do fist bumps and be your best friend. “I feel like he likes the f***ing media.

The UFC welterweight is unimpressed with how Chimaev handles himself outside of the Octagon.

Chimaev referred to the incident in response to Holland, telling the American not to forget the ‘last slap I gave you at the hotel’ before offering another one. I mean, when you guys aren’t around he wants to do fist bumps and he wants to be your best friend. He wants a paycheck, just like the rest of these guys around here.” “Let’s be real. “I feel like he only does this extra wannabe street sh*t when the media is around. [a now-viral run-in](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2022/9/6/23338925/ufc-279-video-khamzat-chimaev-paulo-costa-separated-run-in-at-ufc-pi-jake-shields-nate-diaz-mma-news) with ‘Borz’ at the UFC Performance Institute recently.

UFC president Dana White said the backstage altercations that caused the cancellation of Thursday's news conference were started by Khamzat Chimaev and ...

"This is what we do," White said. "If it wasn't for Tiki, we would have been in big trouble," White said. "This is the business we're in. None of the fighters required medical attention, and according to White, none of the fights scheduled for the card are in jeopardy. When members of Diaz's team saw Ghosn with Chimaev, they thought Ghosn was part of Chimaev's team and started yelling at him, according to sources. [Li Jingliang](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3095328/li-jingliang), who fights [Tony Ferguson](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2560085/tony-ferguson) on Saturday, and former fighter and MMA agent [Tiki Ghosn](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2501594/tiki-ghosn), as well as security.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight bangers Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez will duel in a Catchweight battle this weekend (Sat., Sept.

Rodriguez doesn’t quite have the name of Holland or the previous main event experience, but this is nevertheless a shot to earn a number next to his name. Seven quality wins in eight trips to the Octagon is nothing to scoff at, and at 35 years of age, UFC should be willing to give him reasonable jumps up in competition if he keeps winning. He has to be the one initiating a combination, block/roll/absorb whatever Holland fires back, and then keep attacking. A third win on a platform like UFC 279 could be the last step needed to earning a really established, highly ranked Welterweight. Maybe a victorious Holland could be the striking match that Stephen Thompson is searching for? ET on [ESPN+](http://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/482924/595608/9070?subId2=%5B%5Dsb%5Bp%5D23103585%5Bt%5Dw%5Br%5Dmmamania.com/ufc-prelims%5Bd%5DD&sharedid=MMAMania) PPV. Slipping a Holland jab/straight and countering back with something heavy is likely Rodriguez’s path to victory, but he’ll have to first inch forward to be in range to land. He’s going to have to do something about Holland’s straight shots, whether that means reaching out and smothering hands or focusing more on his head movement is up to “D-Rod.” Either way, Rodriguez can’t just expect to walk through Holland’s range shots. If Rodriguez does manage to secure the pocket, Holland could also stuff his opponent’s offense by quickly wrapping up the clinch, an area where “Big Mouth” is still pretty dangerous, too. Welterweights shouldn’t have 81 inch reaches, and they typically don’t crack like Holland either, which makes him a really tricky opponent for a majority of the division. Holland is facing a big, tough opponent, but that’s not terribly dissimilar from some of his Middleweight opponents. Since dropping down to 170 pounds, Holland has picked up a pair of stoppage wins over quality opposition, positioning himself to break into the rankings again sooner than later.

'It got very physical': UFC star kicks rival in chest, water bottles thrown as 'crazy' details revealed.

Indeed, it wasn’t even a fighter on the UFC279 fight that was the spark for the wildfire, but Paulo Costa, who has shared a brutal war of words on social media and in interviews with Chimaev in recent weeks. “Tiki took a couple for the team and he’s not even on a team. “His team is old, brother. If he wants to fight there with his team, I have like 20 guys with me. We’ll fight with all the teams, you know. But that wasn’t the start of the fracas.

Kevin Holland is preparing for a big fight at UFC 279 against Daniel Rodriguez, but he also had words for top contender, Khmazat Chimeav.

When you guys are around all of a sudden, he’s like ‘I want to rip your head off.’ Let’s be real. Since joining the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, he has put together a 7-1 run. [Kevin Holland](https://fansided.com/2022/03/03/ufc-272-kevin-holland-touts-smooth-transition-welterweight-video/) will take on [Daniel Rodriguez](https://fansided.com/2021/08/26/ufc-vegas-35-daniel-rodriguez-sprawl-brawl-kevin-lee/) on the same card, and while that fight is in front of him, he has some words for a main eventer, Khamzat Chimeav.

As the lone pairing to grace the UFC 279 press conference stage, Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez talk about their approach to the bout.

[added to the card](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/08/ufc-279-news-kevin-holland-vs-daniel-rodriguez) two weeks prior to the event, and landed in the feature spot on the main card. Rodriguez believes the addition of the matchup was best for business, and plans to create a battle that will steal the spotlight of the event headlined by Nate Diaz vs. “So, I think it’s a little better in a couple different areas. Despite the frenzy backstage, [Kevin Holland](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/kevin-holland) and [Daniel Rodriguez](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/daniel-rodriguez) were cordial enough to come out, shake hands and take their seats after a quick change in seating assignments. “I’m a kung fu black belt, you got any black belts?” Holland asked Rodriguez mid-response. “Sh*t show,” Holland said with a laugh when asked to explain what occurred backstage.

Kevin Holland is very familiar with Khamzat Chimaev's habit of getting in the faces of UFC athletes on fight week. Back in September of 2020, ...

And don’t tell the people you don’t know who I am when we got into a little thing at the thing.” So if he’s looking to settle the score with Chimaev outside of hotel lobbies and comment sections, he’ll have to beat Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 and then several ranked opponents before being able to face ‘Borz,’ who sits in the top five. “He pushed me and said I was ‘the help.’ I mean, we did start a COVID cleaning business, but goddamn, I don’t work at the hotel. What you see from me is what you get. The 2020 incident between Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland went down in the days leading up to UFC Vegas 11. When you guys aren’t around, he wants to do fist bumps and he wants to be your best friend.

Khamzat Chimaev appears to have no regrets for his role in the melee that canceled the UFC 279 press conference.

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Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez had their first staredown at the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference.

[UFC 279](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/ufc-279). [Kevin Holland](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/kevin-holland) and [Daniel Rodriguez](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/daniel-rodriguez) squared up for the first time on fight week at the [UFC 279](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/events/ufc-279-chimaev-vs-diaz) pre-fight press conference on Thursday. Ahead of their 180-pound catchweight clash at T-Mobile Arena, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNNews and ESPN+, Holland (23-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and Rodriguez (16-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) answered questions from media then engaged in a faceoff for the cameras.