Kevin Holland said his issue with Jorge Masvidal stemmed from the way he carries himself.
Holland and Masvidal were involved in two altercations during UFC 287 fight week, but neither was able to provide his side of the story after Dana White shut down media members’ questions about the incidents during a press conference.
Holland said he used to be a fan of Masvidal’s, but not a fan of his recent actions when he attacked Leon Edwards backstage at UFC London in 2019, and allegedly assaulted Colby Covington after he lost to him at UFC 272 in March 2022.
“It’s ‘He says/she says,’ you know what I mean? Just some things got misinterpreted,” Holland told MMA Junkie Radio. “But at the end of the day, back in the day, big fan of the way the guy got down. Over time, things change. It was the Leon Edwards thing – none of my business. I try to look at it like it was cool – it became a highlight of success, and I was like, ‘Damn, when did punching people behind the stage become something that we do? That we get love for?’
“I’m like, ‘Well sh*t, if that’s what it takes, maybe I should punch somebody behind the stage.’ Then the Colby thing to me was a little outrageous, but I guess when people cross the line, they cross the line. But you had a chance to handle it in the cage and it didn’t get handled, so it was kind of like poor sportsmanship.”
Both Holland and Masvidal competed at UFC 287. Holland knocked out Santiago Ponzinibbio, but Masvidal lost a decision to Gilbert Burns and subsequently retired.
While Holland had his eye on Masvidal’s “BMF” belt, he no longer sees a point in addressing their heat now that “Gamebred” has hung up his gloves.
“At the end of the day it was just a bunch of dogs barking,” Holland said. “For me, he does have something I want, which is the ‘BMF’ belt. BMF: ‘Bigmouth Motherf*cker.’ Makes sense to me. So other than that, it’s nothing. The guy is successful, wish him nothing but the best. He’s outside of the sport now, so whatever he does has nothing to do with me. He’s doing his own thing. He retired, so f*ck it. Let it go.
“I wanted the BMF (belt), and I didn’t feel like a BMF should have been moving the way he was moving. If I ever had the BMF belt, I wouldn’t move like that. I’d handle the belt in all situations. I’d handle it the right way.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
