Kevin Holland stated he wants to avenge his losses but explicitly refuses a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev. Brendan Allen, who previously claimed he would dominate Chimaev, visited his training camp for sparring sessions with results shown on video. Carlos Ulberg announced he wants Magomed Ankalaev for his first title defense. Paulo Costa moved up to number 7 in the light heavyweight rankings and called out Josh Hokit for a BMF belt fight. Sean O'Malley is struggling to cope with Jiri Prochazka's loss, and footage emerged of a college wrestling match between Bo Nickal and a much slimmer Josh Hokit.
Kevin Holland has made clear he is not interested in a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev, even as he publicly states his desire to settle other scores on his record. The declaration came alongside a cluster of middleweight and light heavyweight storylines reshaping the landscape heading into the spring schedule.
Holland's refusal stands in contrast to the approach taken by fifth-ranked middleweight Brendan Allen, who has been openly vocal about his confidence against Chimaev. The 30-year-old American, fighting out of Kill Cliff FC with a 26-7 record, backed up his words by visiting Chimaev's training camp for sparring sessions, with footage of the sessions circulating publicly. Allen, a six-foot-two orthodox fighter with a 75-inch reach, averages 1.56 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes, making him one of the more complete grapplers in the division.
In the light heavyweight picture, Carlos Ulberg has set his sights on Magomed Ankalaev, calling for a title defense against the Russian contender as his first assignment as champion. That ambition is complicated by movement elsewhere in the division: Paulo Costa has climbed to number seven in the light heavyweight rankings after moving up from middleweight, where he sits thirteenth. The 35-year-old Brazilian known as The Eraser carries a 16-4 record and lands 6.26 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, numbers that would translate as genuine power at 205 pounds. Costa has separately called out Josh Hokit for a BMF belt fight, adding another layer of noise to an already active division.
Meanwhile, Sean O'Malley has been publicly vocal about struggling with the recent loss suffered by Jiri Prochazka, the Czech Republic's second-ranked light heavyweight who holds a 32-6-1 record and lands a remarkable 5.69 significant strikes per minute. Separately, archival footage has surfaced of a college wrestling match between Bo Nickal and a noticeably slighter Josh Hokit.
Why it matters
- Holland's public Chimaev refusal leaves a high-profile rematch off the table and reshapes potential bookings at welterweight and middleweight
- Allen's camp visit and Costa's divisional move add pressure to the middleweight top five ahead of any Chimaev scheduling
- Ulberg's Ankalaev callout sets an early tone for his title reign, with the light heavyweight division already crowded with contenders
