“Favoritism is favoritism,” Kevin Holland targets Khamzat Chimaev being favored by the UFC; says he will retire again if the trend continues

“Favoritism is favoritism,” Kevin Holland targets Khamzat Chimaev being favored by the UFC; says he will retire again if the trend continues

Kevin Holland (L) and Khamzat Chimaev (R) [Image Courtesy - Cageside Press (L) and MMA Fighting (R)]

Kevin Holland sensationally announced his retirement after his fight with Khamzat Chimaev a couple of months back. The two were not supposed to fight each other – however, Holland stepped up to the plate when Chimaev missed weight and needed a new opponent.

Despite being a fan favourite, Holland was not able to use that backing in the octagon, as he was rag-dolled by the Swede and submitted within three minutes. Subsequently, Holland announced on his social media handles that he was done with the sport, and would be retiring from it. That took many MMA fans by surprise as Holland is an up-and-comer, and at merely 30 years, it can be argued that he is yet to hit his prime.

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However, after all the drama unfolded, the UFC stunningly announced a fight which seemed to make Holland’s retirement moot – that is, of himself and Stephen Thompson. Discussing the retirement at the pre-fight media scrum, he said, “ [The retirement] was serious as hell – super serious. It’s still on the table.”

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Speaking about what would send him back to retirement, he said, “If I wake up Sunday morning after beating ‘Wonderboy’ and you guys have Chimaev fighting for a 185-pound world title, and he’s never won a fight at ’85 in the top 15, I’m retired. I understand business is business, but favoritism is favoritism. The kid missed weight.”

Related- “What the f*** he was thinking” – Kevin Holland reveals the reason why he won’t train with Khamzat Chimaev

MMA Twitter reacts to Kevin Holland saying he could retire again, after the Stephen Thompson main event

Kevin Holland [Image Courtesy - MMA Fighting]
Kevin Holland [Image Courtesy – MMA Fighting]

While it can be taken as bitterness towards Khamzat Chimaev, the 30-year-old might have a valid point here. That is, despite him not having fought top-ranked opposition at middleweight, Chimaev could a fast-tracked to a title shot against champion Alex Pereira, who beat Israel Adesanya in stunning fashion, recently. This and multiple other viewpoints (the majority lambasting Holland!) were expressed by fans who happened to react to Holland’s words. Find the best tweets attached below.

https://twitter.com/counter_jab/status/1598383810269569024
Also Read- “It was the worst,” Find out the SHOCKING REASON why Stephen Thompson was once put behind bars

It seems like fans aren’t too impressed with Kevin Holland’s behaviour – changing tracks can be appealing, but not if it is done every so often. That being said, the fighter can turn the tide in his favour if he can manage to beat “Wonderboy” in a couple of days’ time.

Also Read- WATCH: Alex Pereira calls out Khamzat Chimaev to an indigenous wrestling bout after incessant trolling