Kevin Holland stated he wants to avenge his losses, but explicitly refuses a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev. Brendan Allen, who had claimed he would dominate Chimaev, visited his training camp for sparring sessions with results shown on video. Carlos Ulberg announced he wants to face Magomed Ankalaev for his first title defense. Paulo Costa has moved up to number 7 in the light heavyweight rankings and called out Josh Hokit for a BMF title fight. Sean O'Malley is reportedly struggling with Jiri Prochazka's loss, and footage surfaced showing a college wrestling match between Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit, with Hokit appearing much leaner back then.
Kevin Holland has made clear he has no interest in rematching Khamzat Chimaev, even as he publicly declares his intention to settle other scores from his loss column. The declaration came amid a busy stretch of callouts and camp crossovers shaking up the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
Brendan Allen, ranked fifth in the middleweight division, backed up his earlier bold words about Chimaev by visiting his training camp for sparring sessions, with footage from those rounds surfacing publicly. The thirty-year-old American, who fights out of Kill Cliff FC, carries a 26-7 record and has built a reputation as a well-rounded threat, averaging 1.56 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes alongside a tidy fifty-three percent striking accuracy.
In the light heavyweight picture, Carlos Ulberg has announced he wants Magomed Ankalaev as his first title defense, setting up a potential high-stakes matchup at the top of the division. Meanwhile, Paulo Costa has made a notable jump up to light heavyweight, where he now sits at number seven in the rankings, and has called out Josh Hokit for a BMF title fight. Costa, thirty-five, holds a 16-4 record and has spent his career as a pressure striker at middleweight, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at fifty-eight percent accuracy.
Elsewhere, Sean O'Malley is reportedly taking the loss of Jiri Prochazka hard. Prochazka, the thirty-three-year-old Czech ranked second in light heavyweight with a 32-6-1 record, is known for his high-volume, unorthodox approach, averaging 5.69 significant strikes per minute with an eighty-inch reach. Separately, old footage resurfaced showing a college wrestling match between Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit, with Hokit appearing considerably lighter than his current frame.
Why it matters
- Holland's refusal to fight Chimaev narrows the field for a potential Chimaev return and could redirect both fighters toward other top-five middleweights
- Allen's camp visit keeps attention on Chimaev even without a fight booked, adding pressure on matchmakers to act
- Costa's move to light heavyweight at number seven signals a genuine divisional shift, not a one-off callout
- Ulberg targeting Ankalaev immediately sets a high bar for his first championship defense
