Kevin Holland (26-12) will face Reinier de Ridder (18-2) in a middleweight bout at UFC 311.
Following initial reports from MMA Mania, multiple media outlets confirmed the pairing. UFC 311 will take place on January 18th at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and will also feature a light heavyweight showdown between Jiri Prochaska and Jamahal Hill.
Holland was named Sherdog’s “Breakthrough Fighter of the Year” in 2020 thanks to a 5-0 UFC season, but then fell into even more difficult times. One of the most active fighters on the UFC roster, ‘Trailblazer’ has fought at least three times each year since 2020. However, this meant he had to play several matches against opponents such as Khamzat Chimaev and Jacques de la Maddalena. Holland is currently 1-3 in his last four fights, coming off a corner stoppage loss to Roman Dolidze at UFC 307 last month.
Meanwhile, De Ridder went undefeated in 16 matches since his professional debut and became the ONE Championship title holder in two divisions. The Dutch standout lost both belts in back-to-back losses to Anatoly Malihin and subsequently gave up on the promotion. ‘The Dutch Knight’ had a stoppage victory under the UAE Warriors banner earlier this year before signing with the UFC. De Ridder submitted veteran submission artist Gerald Meerschaert in his UFC debut earlier this month.
