UFC 279: ESPN releases footage of backstage brawl involving Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland

Now it can be seen. ESPN has tweeted video of the backstage kerfuffle that led to the cancellation of the UFC 279 press conference. Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland were believed to have been at the center of the chaos but the Nate Diaz team was suspect as well.

Let’s look at the tweet:

The footage shows UFC staff and officials trying to keep Holland and Chimaev separated, Chimaev seems to land a kick on Holland.

“Say something now,” Chimaev said. “F*** you, b****.”

“You’re not about that f****** life, kid,” Holland replies. “You’re not about it.”

Chimaev and Holland had been feuding for a while. They talked trash at each other at UFC Vegas 21 and had both continued the hostilities on on social media and in interviews before they met again backstage at the UFC 279 presser.

The UFC released some footage as well:

As expected Chimaev and Holland dominate the footage but Nate Diaz makes a brief appearance at the end as well.

The chaos around the press conference began a wild sequence of events that saw almost the entire PPV line-up change dramatically.

Originally UFC 279 had planned on featuring Chimaev vs Diaz as the headliner, but after the Russian fighter missed weight by over 7 pounds, the lineup had to be reshuffled.

Now Nate Diaz will meet Tony Ferguson in the headliner and Chimaev and Holland will have a chance to settle their differences in the Octagon in the co-main event.

Dana White said no fighters will face sanction for their actions in the locker room dust up.