Daniel Rodriguez has told of how Kevin Holland made sure he was taken care of before Holland accepted a bout with Khamzat Chimaev.
Rodriguez and Holland were originally set to fight each other at UFC 279. Khamzat Chimaev weighing in at 178.5 lbs set off a turn of events that saw Holland bumped up to the co-main event.
This left Daniel Rodriguez without an opponent until China’s Li Jingliang stepped up to the plate. Rodriguez scored a controversial decision win over the welterweight, with many believing Jingliang to be the rightful victor.
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Daniel Rodriguez appeared on the MMA Hour to give his thoughts on the weekend’s affairs. He made a special point of crediting original opponent “Big Mouth” Kevin Holland.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Rodriguez indicated that the generally good-natured Holland was mindful of both parties’ interests, despite being opponents:
“He sent me a DM in the morning of weigh-ins. He was like ”Yo, This is a s******w”. He’s saying how he is hearing that Khamzat might miss weight and that he might fill in for him.”
Rodriguez: Holland Dm’ed Me
Even though for a while Rodriguez felt dejected, he had special thanks to give to Holland.
“Props to him, though. He had told the UFC or whatever, maybe the matchmakers that He wanted to make sure I was completely taken care of. Like not completely left out of the situation, or without a fight. At least to get paid a little something, you know? So shout out to him for that.”
This would not be the first time that we hear of former part-time superhero Kevin Holland doing good. So far he has racked up at least three citizens’ arrests and the goodwill of Dana White. Rodriguez now sits on a winning streak of four, and a rescheduled bout between him and Kevin Holland could be what makes the most sense for the duo.
However, gratitude aside, Rodriguez currently does not see a rebooking with Holland as being a reasonable option for him at the moment.
Who do you have should the pair meet in the octagon?