Retiring Kevin Holland is about more than winning and losing.
The 30-year-old ‘Trailblazer’ wants the promotion to deliver on some promises after the former middleweight agreed to a short-notice fight against overweight Khamzat Chimaev to prevent pay-per-view (PPV) UFC 279 to drop a hand.
That’s why Holland, who briefly retired earlier this year, remains coy about his fighting future, especially with all the rumors circulating about a potential title fight between Butcher Chimaev and the new titleholder. of 185 pounds Alex Pereira.
“(My retirement) was serious as hell — super serious,” Holland told TheMacLife during the UFC Orlando media day (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “It’s still on the table. If I wake up Sunday morning after beating ‘Wonderboy’ and you have Chimaev fighting for a world title at 185 pounds, and he’s never won a fight in 85 in the Top 15, I’m at the retirement. I understand that business is business, but favoritism is favoritism. The child has lost weight. I had to step in and fight him after he lost weight for the fight to happen. I shouldn’t have had to do that.
Holland was submitted by Chimaev in the first round of their UFC 279 co-main event.
“I did what I had to do,” Holland continued. “I did what I was supposed to do as a businessman, so I’m sitting here telling you guys now: some things have to go a certain way. If they don’t follow certain paths and we don’t get what we were promised, the things we talked about aren’t honored, you might as well give me my resignation papers and go home and smoke weed and playing video games for the rest of my life.”
Holland (23-8, 1 NC), currently unranked at 170 pounds, returns to welterweight action against two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson atop the UFC Orlando card this Saturday. night (December 3, 2022) on ESPN and ESPN+ from inside the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
For the rest of the UFC Orlando fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ lineup, click here.
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