Kevin Holland stated he is always interested in avenging his losses, but made an exception for Khamzat Chimaev, emphatically declining any rematch proposal. In a related development, Brendan Allen, who had previously claimed he would dominate Chimaev in a fight, traveled to Chimaev's training camp for sparring sessions. Video footage of the sparring session was shared, though details of the results were not elaborated. Additionally, the post mentions that Carlos Ulberg expressed his desire to face Magomed Ankalaev in his first title defense, and Paulo Costa, now ranked seventh at light heavyweight, has called out Josh Hokit for a BMF title fight.
Kevin Holland has drawn a firm line in the sand, ruling out a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev while middleweight contender Brendan Allen made a trip to Chimaev's training camp for sparring, footage of which surfaced publicly on April 14.
Holland, who carries a 29-15 record and competes out of Phalanx MMA Academy, made clear he is generally open to avenging defeats — but Chimaev is a deliberate exception. The six-foot-three American, who fights out of an orthodox stance and owns an 81-inch reach, was unambiguous in declining any rematch proposal involving the Chechen-Swedish contender.
Brendan Allen, meanwhile, took a notably different approach to the Chimaev conversation. The 30-year-old American, ranked fifth in the middleweight division with a 26-7 record, had previously stated publicly that he believed he would dominate Chimaev in a fight. Rather than keeping that claim verbal, Allen traveled to Chimaev's camp for live sparring. Video of the session was shared online, though no specifics about how the rounds played out were disclosed. Allen fights for Kill Cliff FC and brings a well-rounded game to the cage, averaging 1.56 takedowns per fifteen minutes alongside 1.1 submission attempts in the same window.
Elsewhere in the news cycle, Carlos Ulberg indicated he wants Magomed Ankalaev as his first title defense opponent. Paulo Costa, listed at seventh in the light heavyweight rankings per the summary — though the AgentMMA database places him thirteenth in the middleweight division at 16-4 — has called out Josh Hokit for a BMF title fight. The 35-year-old Brazilian lands 6.26 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, making him one of the more prolific volume strikers in any division he enters.
Why it matters
- Holland's public refusal signals the Chimaev matchup is effectively dead at the welterweight or middleweight level for that pairing
- Allen's camp visit adds real-world context to his bold prediction and could influence how the UFC approaches a potential booking
- Costa's move to light heavyweight and a BMF callout suggests his career trajectory may be shifting divisions entirely
