Kevin Holland stated he wants to avenge his losses but refuses a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev. Brendan Allen, who previously claimed he would destroy Chimaev, visited Chimaev's training camp for sparring sessions with results shown on video. Carlos Ulberg announced he wants to face Magomed Ankalaev in his first title defense. Paulo Costa rose to seventh in the light heavyweight rankings and called out Josh Hockett for a BMF belt fight. Sean O'Malley is struggling with Jiri Prochazka's recent loss, and footage emerged of a college wrestling match between Bo Nickal and Josh Hockett showing a much slimmer Hockett.
Kevin Holland has ruled out a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev, even as Brendan Allen made a personal visit to Chimaev's training camp for sparring sessions — footage of which surfaced online.
Holland, who has expressed a desire to avenge past losses, drew a clear line at Chimaev when addressing potential opponents. The welterweight and middleweight veteran's stance signals that despite his competitive appetite, the Chimaev matchup is off the table from his side.
Allen, ranked fifth in the middleweight division at 26-7, had previously gone on record claiming he would destroy Chimaev. The visit to Chimaev's camp adds an intriguing layer to that rivalry, with video evidence of the two sharing the mat. The 30-year-old American, who fights out of Kill Cliff FC, is one of the division's more well-rounded threats, averaging 1.56 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes alongside solid striking output.
Elsewhere in the news cycle, Carlos Ulberg announced he wants Magomed Ankalaev as the opponent for his first light heavyweight title defense, setting up what could be a significant championship bout at 205 pounds.
Paulo Costa, listed at thirteenth in the middleweight rankings, made a surprise call-out of Josh Hockett for a BMF belt fight after reportedly moving up to seventh in the light heavyweight rankings. The Brazilian known as The Eraser carries an elite striking rate of 6.26 significant strikes per minute with 58 percent accuracy across his 16-win career.
Sean O'Malley has been vocal about being affected by the recent loss suffered by Jiri Prochazka, the Czech Republic's second-ranked light heavyweight contender who carries a 32-6-1 record and a historically aggressive output of 5.69 significant strikes per minute. Additionally, old college wrestling footage emerged showing Bo Nickal competing against a noticeably slimmer Josh Hockett.
Why it matters
- Allen sparring at Chimaev's camp fuels one of middleweight's most heated verbal feuds
- Ulberg targeting Ankalaev immediately frames the light heavyweight title picture
- Costa's cross-divisional callout and Hockett's name appearing in multiple storylines suggest the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions are converging in unusual ways
