MIAMI – Dana White made sure to put some water on the sparks between Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Holland.
The UFC president quickly shut down a reporter’s questions and made sure Thursday’s UFC 287 pre-fight press conference moved along, just as Masvidal and Holland were starting to get into it.
Both Masvidal and Holland got into an argument at the host hotel on Wednesday, and were forced to be separated by security before things could escalate. When asked about the altercation at the press conference, Masvidal kept it to himself.
“Absolutely nothing,” Masvidal said. “There’s nothing to talk about there. He’s just a d*ck-riding, clout-chasing b*tch. Ain’t nothing to talk about.”
Holland immediately replied, “No, that’s not what you were saying yesterday, bro. Watch your f*cking mouth.”
Holland then revealed that calling Masvidal a “baby girl” may have what set off the altercation in the hotel lobby.
It was then that White intervened and made sure things didn’t keep escalating at the press conference.
“Come on, these two aren’t even fighting,” White said. “Knock it off. Do you have a question about these guys and who they’re fighting, or do you just want to start sh*t in here? What’s your question?”
The moment was heading towards a heated back-and-forth verbal altercation that are typically the most talked about moments from these pre-fight press conferences. Although Holland and Masvidal aren’t fighting each other at UFC 287, the moment could have served as a backdrop for a potential matchup down the road. However, the UFC boss decided to control the line of questioning from reporters and stop the two UFC stars from interacting.
UFC 287 takes place Saturday at Miami-Dade Arena in Miami. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. Mavidal takes on Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of the card, while Holland takes on Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio also on the pay-per-view main card.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.