Kevin Holland doubles down on Khamzat Chimaev COVID remarks, details hotel lobby run-in

LAS VEGAS – Kevin Holland doesn’t regret his comments towards Khamzat Chimaev’s COVID-19 case – not one bit.

Chimaev was hit hard by the virus, which twice forced him to withdraw from scheduled bouts with Leon Edwards. The undefeated prospect later detailed his struggle with battling COVID, claiming that he thought he was going to die when making a recent trip to the hospital.

But Holland, who’s known to not mince his words, recently appeared on the “JRE MMA Show” and blasted Chimaev for his handling of the virus, questioning his heart. Holland was asked about it again ahead of this weekend’s UFC on ESPN 21 event, and he pulled no punches.

“Why would I regret those comments?” Holland asked reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a Wednesday media day at the UFC Apex. “He still looks pretty in all his pictures. Everybody says he feels bad. I had seen him like literally two days before he said he felt bad, and we were about to low-key fight inside the lobby all over again. You know what I mean? I mean, he didn’t feel that bad that hour. So, it is what it is.

“I think the guy’s personally getting better, so when he comes back and he has to fight the tougher competition, he could continue to smash the way he’s been smashing.”

Holland (21-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) went on to detail a run-in that he had with Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at a hotel lobby, where the two jawed at each other. “Big Mouth” has expressed on multiple occasions his desire to one day lock horns with Chimaev, who was MMA Junkie’s 2020 “Newcomer of the Year.”

“It wasn’t like almost fight, it was just like literally, I seen him, he seen me and he walked in and I was like, ‘Oh look my best friend’s here,’” Holland said. “Granted there’s a language barrier, so he probably didn’t understand like I was being sarcastic, and he was like, ‘Oh you want to be friends now?’ I started laughing, I was like, ‘F*ck no, never. Why would I want to be friends with you?’

“Then somebody behind me was like, ‘Kevin there’s a lot of them, and it’s just one of you,’ and I was like, ‘I’m not worried about it. I drove out here. I got dildos in the car. I’m ready to f*ck that boy.’ So it’s never really worried about these guys. I hope he gets better. I’d love to fight him one day.”

For now, Holland is focused on his first-promotional headliner, when he meets Derek Brunson in the UFC on ESPN 21 main event Saturday at the UFC Apex. The night’s main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

To watch the full availability with Holland, check out the video below.