LAS VEGAS – Although it wasn’t planned this way, only two of the six fighters took their seats at the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference.
As UFC president Dana White described it, a “sh*t show” occurred before the event began. Despite the frenzy backstage, Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez were cordial enough to come out, shake hands and take their seats after a quick change in seating assignments.
Holland (23-7 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Rodriguez (16-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) compete in a short-notice 180-pound catchweight contest that will serve as the feature bout on the main card of the pay-per-view.
The fighters sat on either side of White, and questions about the situation backstage began pouring in before they addressed the fight at hand.
“Sh*t show,” Holland said with a laugh when asked to explain what occurred backstage. With no one on stage willing to reveal any details about what happened behind the curtains, things shifted to a discussion about the differences in striking styles and the fighters’ approach to their bout.
“I’m a kung fu black belt, you got any black belts?” Holland asked Rodriguez mid-response. “So, I think it’s a little better in a couple different areas. That being said, the man’s still dangerous. I’ll watch out for it, so it’s going to be a fun night.”
It’s an exciting matchup between two all-action fighters that was added to the card two weeks prior to the event, and landed in the feature spot on the main card. Rodriguez believes the addition of the matchup was best for business, and plans to create a battle that will steal the spotlight of the event headlined by Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev.
“I think it’s going to be Fight of the Night,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like we saved the card, to be real with you. … We don’t be in a f*cking kung fu fight, I know that for sure. We gonna be in a fight, fight. So, I ain’t trippin’ on no kung fu black belt, anything.”
“Everybody’s kung fu fighting, I don’t know what the f*ck this dude’s talking about,” Holland interrupted, giving a nod to Carl Douglas’ hit song. “Everybody’s kung fu fighting.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.
