LAS VEGAS – Khamzat Chimaev may have been the reason for a dramatic last-minute shuffle to the UFC 279 lineup, but what he plans to do inside the cage on Saturday remains unchanged.
Chimaev’s new opponent, UFC welterweight Kevin Holland, won’t deny that his new matchup at UFC 279 is much tougher stylistically speaking. Holland (23-7 MMA, 10-4 UFC) vs. Chimaev is one of the three main card matchups that were shaken up following Chimaev’s huge weight miss for what was supposed to be his main event bout against Nate Diaz.
Holland’s original opponent was Daniel Rodriguez, who’s now set to take on Li Jingliang. Holland knows he’s in a much tougher fight now.
“F*ck no, but it’s gonna be a fun one,” Holland said in reply to Joe Rogan when asked if Chimaev is a better fight for him.
Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) talked a big game in the lead up to UFC 279, saying he’s a gangster from Chechnya. Holland would beg to differ.
“All these guys claiming they’re gangsters, they’re not gangsters,” Holland said. “They wear makeup for the HD cameras, and that’s as simple as it is.”
Chimaev, who got booed by the crowd in attendance at the UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-ins, had little to say about his weight miss, but vowed to put away Holland.
“They stopped that sh*t (the weight cut), I don’t know,” Chimaev said. “Hey, this is Chechnya motherf*ckers. Shut up, guys. I’m gonna f*ck your boy up, I f*ck him backstage as well.
He later added,
“I don’t care, I want to smash everybody. I come here (to) f*ck everybody. I’m gonna take it over now.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.
