Kevin Holland is set to face an opponent he was originally scheduled to fight years ago, a bout that was previously disrupted by an incident involving Khamzat Chimaev.
Holland was one of the fighters significantly impacted by the chaotic events that led to major changes in the UFC 279 pay-per-view lineup in September 2022.
Just a day before his scheduled 180-pound catchweight contest against Daniel Rodriguez, Khamzat Chimaev`s substantial weight miss forced the cancellation of his main event against Nate Diaz and threw the entire fight card into disarray.
The UFC rearranged matchups, which resulted in Holland facing the undefeated `Borz` on short notice. Chimaev quickly secured a submission victory over Holland in less than two and a half minutes.
Fortunately, Holland`s training camp for UFC 279 wasn`t entirely in vain.
Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez Added to UFC 318
The remarkably active welterweight recently competed in Newark earlier this month, submitting Vicente Luque at UFC 316 in just 63 seconds to re-enter the rankings.
While some might have expected the Californian to face another ranked opponent next, Holland`s desire to compete frequently has led him to a bout where he will look to defend his position at UFC 318.
Scheduled for July 19 in New Orleans, Holland and Rodriguez will finally get the chance to fight in the Octagon. This welterweight bout was first reported by @realkevink on X. UFC 318 is expected to be headlined by Dustin Poirier challenging Max Holloway for the symbolic BMF belt.
Kevin Holland Pursuing UFC Record for Most Fights in a Year
The rebooked fight against Rodriguez positions Holland to potentially set a new record for the most UFC fights in a single calendar year.
`Big Mouth` currently shares the record for most UFC appearances in a year (five) with eleven other fighters, including notable names like Chris Leben, Neil Magny, and Jessica Andrade. Holland is one of only three among this group to have won all five of their fights.
While the record for most *wins* in a calendar year is different, the 32-year-old Holland could distinguish himself by competing six times in 2025.
| 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 |
After facing Rodriguez in July, Holland would need to compete two more times in the remaining five months of the year to achieve the new record for `Trailblazer`.
Gareth Pendleton