Kevin Holland calls Khamzat Chimaev a ‘wannabe’ gangster, accuses him of acting up for the cameras

Is Khamzat Chimaev a ‘real gangster’? Only when the cameras are around, says Kevin Holland. The UFC welterweight returns for a short-notice fight against…

By: Kristen King | 9 months ago
Kevin Holland calls Khamzat Chimaev a ‘wannabe’ gangster, accuses him of acting up for the cameras
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Is Khamzat Chimaev a ‘real gangster’? Only when the cameras are around, says Kevin Holland.

The UFC welterweight returns for a short-notice fight against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 on Saturday night. Sitting atop the pay-per-view event are Chimaev and Nate Diaz, two men whom Holland has previously expressed interest in sharing the Octagon with.

Though he has no animosity, Holland will not shy away from saying how he feels about either of them, especially Chimaev. The ‘Trailblazer’ echoed the same sentiments as Jake Shields and Paulo Costa, who were involved in a now-viral run-in with ‘Borz’ at the UFC Performance Institute recently. Both men have called Chimaev a ‘fake gangster’ for how different his persona is in front of and behind cameras, and Holland agreed.

“I feel like he likes the f—ing media,” said Holland (video provided by MMA Fighting). “I feel like he only does this extra wannabe street sh*t when the media is around. Other than that, he doesn’t do it. I mean, when you guys aren’t around he wants to do fist bumps and he wants to be your best friend. When you guys are around, then all of a sudden he’s like, ‘Ahh, I’ll rip your f—ing head off.’

“You ain’t ripping s—t off, dog,” continued Holland. “Let’s be real. He wants a paycheck, just like the rest of these guys around here.”

Holland and Chimaev have also had their own run-in in the past. The Chechen confronted Holland for comments regarding his harrowing experience with COVID-19, which led to a minor altercation at the fighter hotel ahead of UFC Vegas 11 in late 2020. 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.

Offer aside, Holland still sees Chimaev getting his hand raised against Diaz.

“He should win, on paper,” said Holland.

UFC 279 goes down on Sat., Sept. 10, live at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.


UPDATE:



LIVE! Watch UFC 286 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

CHAMPIONSHIP TRILOGY! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to The O2 in London England, on Sat., March 18, 2023, with newly-minted Welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards, running it back with former 170-pound champion, Kamaru Usman, for a third (and likely final) time. In UFC 286’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, all-action Lightweight knockout artists, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev, will lock horns with the winner inching closer to a future Lightweight title shot.

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

Share this story

About the author
Kristen King
Kristen King

Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016, getting her start with outlets such as FanSided, MyMMANews and MMA-Prospects. She joined the BE team in 2020, covering a mix of news, events and injuries. In her time with BE, Kristen has created ‘Fright of the Night,’ a series that highlights some of the worst injuries in the sport.

More from the author

Related Stories