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Kevin Holland is one of the most entertaining personalities in the UFC. While his knockout power has earned him some exciting wins, he is best known for his talkative ways inside and outside the octagon. This has led to him getting into confrontations with 'BMF' champion Jorge Masvidal.
Prior to UFC 287, the pair had two tense encounters that required the intervention of on-site security. Fortunately, the confrontations never escalated to the point of violence. Despite efforts from MMA journalists to uncover the reason behind the pair's feud, their questions were quickly shut down.
At the pre-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White was in no mood to entertain the possibility of a brawl spilling out between the two men. UFC 287 ended with Jorge Masvidal announcing his retirement and Kevin Holland scoring a knockout win against Santiago Ponzinibbio.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, 'Trailblazer' was asked about the pair of incidents between him and 'Gamebred'. He described his behavior as stemming from a distaste over how Masvidal conducted himself:
"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. So, 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?'"
Holland subsequently downplayed his beef with Masvidal:
"At the end of the day, it was just a bunch of dogs barking, you know? For me, he does have something I want, which is the ‘BMF’ belt, you know, it's 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."
Catch the interview below (6:35):
Kevin Holland and Jorge Masvidal's history of backstage confrontations with fighters
Prior to UFC 287, Dana White took issue with MMA journalists quizzing both Kevin Holland and Jorge Masvidal on their initial backstage confrontation. The UFC president had every reason to shut down the questions reporters tried to field. 'Trailblazer' and 'Gamebred' both have a history of sparking backstage incidents.
Kevin Holland was involved in other incidents when he confronted Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz.
Meanwhile, Jorge Masvidal infamously attacked Leon Edwards after the Englishman interrupted his backstage interview with trash talk. That moment led to the development of Masvidal's infamous "three-piece and a soda" line.
