Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Holland didn’t end up fighting at UFC 287. But they almost sparked off the event prematurely in Miami. On Wednesday, security had to intervene to separate the welterweights at their host hotel.
Although it seems that the incident was only a verbal altercation with no physical confrontation.
A brief clip emerged on social media featuring the fighters yelling at each other. While UFC security kept them at a distance from each other. Recently, Holland’s striking coach, Durwyn Lamb, shed light on the details of the incident at UFC 287.
Kevin Holland talks about his hotel run-in with Jorge Masvidal 👀 #TheMMAHour
"I don’t think he takes words lightly, I definitely don’t take words lightly… It’s just a bunch of barking and growling until somebody bites.” pic.twitter.com/2hHe0hiMLm
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) April 10, 2023
Following the altercation at UFC 287, Holland’s striking coach Durwyn Lamb provided details about the incident in an interview. According to Lamb, Holland’s conflict with ‘Gamebred’ was linked to his scuffle with Leon Edwards. And his alleged assault on Colby Covington.
At UFC Fight 147 in London back in 2019, Masvidal and Edwards had a notorious altercation backstage. Additionally, in more recent development. Covington accused ‘Gamebred’ of assaulting him outside a restaurant in Miami a few weeks after their fight at UFC 272.
According to Lamb, Kevin Holland used to be a fan of Jorge Masvidal until his altercations, after which ‘Gamebred’s’ behavior started to irk him. While the exact trigger of the incident is unknown.
Jorge Masvidal: The ‘Gamebred’ fears none
Jorge Masvidal fight with Kevin Holland in lobby ufc Miami#ufc #ufcmiami #ufc287 #jorgemasvidal #kevinholland #fight #mma #miami pic.twitter.com/yJHv5UOxZR
— Florida Man (@BarryMacokner94) April 5, 2023
Sources talking to MMA Fighting stated that the altercation was not significant and no punches were thrown. The sources further revealed that UFC security was already aware of the underlying tension between Holland and Masvidal.
And took precautions to keep them apart before their fights on Saturday.
Following their altercation, Holland released a video of his own addressing the incident, but it seems like there will be no consequences for either fighter.
“Let me just go ahead and say it, that video’s going to come out, and then they’re probably going to do an opponent change again! F***!” Holland said on Instagram.
At the moment, there have been no alterations to the scheduled fights of either Holland or Masvidal at UFC 287. Both fighters are slated to compete on the main card this Saturday, with Masvidal, a hometown hero, set to face Gilbert in the co-main event.
Meanwhile, Holland is scheduled to fight Santiago Ponzinibbio in another bout that will be broadcasted on pay-per-view.
The UFC will likely take measures to ensure that Holland and Masvidal are kept apart for the remainder of the week, although both are expected to attend the pre-fight press conference scheduled for Thursday.
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