In a collection of brief updates: 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 in his first title defense. Paulo Costa moved to number seven in the light heavyweight rankings and called out Josh Hokit for a BMF belt fight. Sean O'Malley is reportedly struggling with Jiri Prochazka's recent loss. Archive footage surfaced of a college wrestling match between Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit, showing a slimmer version of Hokit.
A string of MMA news items dropped around April 14, touching on Kevin Holland's refusal to fight Khamzat Chimaev again, Brendan Allen's sparring visit to Chimaev's camp, Carlos Ulberg's title-defense ambitions, a Paulo Costa callout, and some unearthed college wrestling footage.
Kevin Holland made clear he has no interest in a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev despite stating he wants to settle scores from previous losses. Holland drew a firm line at that particular opponent, declining to revisit that matchup regardless of the circumstances.
Brendan Allen, the fifth-ranked middleweight, had previously claimed he would handle Chimaev with ease. The thirty-year-old American, who fights out of Kill Cliff FC and carries a 26-7 record, backed up his words by traveling to Chimaev's training camp for sparring sessions. Video of the sessions surfaced publicly, though the results have drawn their own commentary online. Allen is a well-rounded threat in the division, averaging 1.56 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes.
Carlos Ulberg announced his preferred opponent for a first light heavyweight title defense, naming Magomed Ankalaev as his target. Meanwhile, Paulo Costa, the thirty-five-year-old Brazilian striker with a 16-4 record currently ranked thirteenth at middleweight, made a notable move by calling out Josh Hokit for a BMF belt fight after shifting to the light heavyweight division. Costa lands 6.26 significant strikes per minute with 58 percent accuracy, numbers that make his callout hard to ignore on paper.
Archive footage also emerged showing a college wrestling match between Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit, giving fans an early look at Hokit before his MMA career took shape.
Why it matters
- Allen's sparring visit to Chimaev's camp keeps their potential middleweight collision in the public conversation
- Costa's move to light heavyweight and a BMF callout adds an unexpected wrinkle to that division's landscape
- Ulberg targeting Ankalaev would pit the new champion against one of the division's most dangerous ranked contenders
- Holland's public refusal to fight Chimaev narrows the field of willing opponents for the Chechen contender
