Kevin Holland is set to face an opponent he was originally scheduled to fight years ago, a matchup that was derailed due to events involving Khamzat Chimaev.
Holland`s initial planned bout was a casualty of the chaotic last-minute changes to the UFC 279 card in September 2022.
Just a day before UFC 279, Holland was preparing for a 180-pound catchweight fight against Daniel Rodriguez. However, Khamzat Chimaev`s significant weight miss caused the cancellation of his main event against Nate Diaz, throwing the entire event into disarray.
The UFC scrambled to rearrange fights, resulting in Holland facing the then-undefeated Khamzat Chimaev on short notice. Chimaev quickly submitted Holland in under two and a half minutes.
Fortunately, Holland`s preparation for UFC 279 will not be entirely in vain.
Rematch Set: Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez Added to UFC 318
The highly active welterweight contender recently competed earlier this month at UFC 316 in Newark, where he secured a swift submission victory over Vicente Luque in just 63 seconds, earning him a return to the rankings.
While many anticipated Holland would face another ranked opponent next, his preference for frequent fights sees him now booked to defend his standing at UFC 318.
Scheduled for the UFC 318 pay-per-view in New Orleans on July 19, Holland and Rodriguez will finally get their chance to compete in the Octagon. This welterweight clash was reportedly confirmed by Kevin Holland himself on social media.
UFC 318 is currently expected to be headlined by Dustin Poirier in what is potentially his final fight, challenging Max Holloway for the symbolic BMF title.
Pursuing History: Holland Aims to Break His Own UFC Record for Most Fights in a Year
With the Rodriguez fight confirmed, Holland is now positioned to potentially set a new record for the most UFC bouts in a single calendar year.
Holland, also known as `Big Mouth`, currently shares the existing record of five UFC fights in a year with 11 other fighters, such as Chris Leben, Neil Magny, Uriah Hall, and Jessica Andrade. Notably, Holland is one of only three fighters on that list who won all five of their fights in their record year.
While the record for most wins in a calendar year might be out of reach for 2024, the 32-year-old Holland could distinguish himself by competing six times this year, surpassing his own previous record of five fights set in 2020.
| Fighter | Year | Division | Bouts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Leben | 2006 | Middleweight | 5 | 3 |
| Roger Huerta | 2007 | Lightweight | 5 | 5 |
| Donald Cerrone | 2011 | Lightweight | 5 | 4 |
| Daron Cruickshank | 2014 | Lightweight | 5 | 3 |
| Neil Magny | 2014 & 2015 | Welterweight | 5 | 5 & 4 |
| Uriah Hall | 2015 | Middleweight | 5 | 3 |
| Ross Pearson | 2016 | Lightweight/Welterweight | 5 | 1 |
| Thiago Santos | 2018 | Middleweight/Light Heavyweight | 5 | 4 |
| Greg Hardy | 2019 | Heavyweight | 5 | 2 |
| Kevin Holland | 2020 | Middleweight | 5 | 5 |
| Andre Fialho | 2022 | Welterweight | 5 | 2 |
| Jessica Andrade | 2023 | Strawweight/Flyweight | 5 | 2 |
Following the bout against Rodriguez in July, Holland will have the remaining months of 2024 to potentially add two more fights to his schedule, which would secure the new record for the `Trailblazer`.
Neville Whittle