Jacobe Smith says he is 'bound to smack' Kevin Holland if he sees him outside the cage
The unbeaten welterweight, who faces Randy Brown in the UFC Vegas 123 co-main event on Saturday, said Holland is the one running his mouth in their DMs.
Jacobe Smith said he is "bound to smack" Kevin Holland in the face if he sees him outside the cage, as the unbeaten welterweight prepares to face Randy Brown in the UFC Vegas 123 co-main event in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Smith and Holland were scheduled to fight at UFC Oklahoma City in July, but Holland withdrew with an injury. Smith told UFC on Paramount that the pair have since gone back and forth in private messages, and that neither of them went public with it. He said that "after my last knockout, I DM'd him and said, I want you next, boy".
Smith said Holland "was wanting to fight Noche but said he couldn't be ready for Utah", and that Holland told him he did nothing when they saw each other in public but talked on social media. "I'm like, you literally defining yourself right now," Smith said. "Like, I'm not in your DMs talking crap, you in mine, running your mouth."
"So it is what it is. If I see him, I'm bound to smack him in his face, you know, outside the cage. Like, I don't like the dude," he said. "And if we can't get in the cage, I'm gonna be the one doing the talking, I guarantee you," he added.
Holland is booked to face Uros Medic at UFC 334 on 14 November.
Smith, 13-0, replaced Carlos Leal as Brown's opponent and stopped Bruce Whitehead in the first round at UFC 332 on 3 October. Both men weighed 170.5lb on Friday (weigh-in report). Brown has lost his last two fights, the second a decision to Holland himself at UFC 327 (our earlier report).
The card opens at 21:00 UK and Irish time on Saturday 31 October, with Brown v Smith listed in the 00:00 slot on our UK start time page.
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