Kevin Holland Record: 29-15-0

UFC rise and breakout year

Holland's Octagon debut ended in a decision loss to Thiago Santos in 2018, but he rebounded quickly, submitting John Phillips and stringing together decision wins over Gerald Meerschaert and Alessio Di Chirico. His signature stretch came in 2020, when he went on a tear with finishes of Anthony Hernandez and Joaquin Buckley, a decision over Darren Stewart, a slam stoppage of Charlie Ontiveros, and a stunning one-punch knockout of former title challenger Ronaldo Souza. That five-win 2020 vaulted him into the middleweight rankings.

Two divisions and the veteran years

The climb hit resistance in 2021 with back-to-back five-round decision losses to Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori. Holland answered by dropping to welterweight, where he beat Alex Oliveira and Tim Means before running into a buzzsaw in undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. He bounced between divisions over the following years, scoring a knockout of Santiago Ponzinibbio, a quick submission of Michael Chiesa, and later finishes of Michał Oleksiejczuk and Vicente Luque, while taking losses to the likes of Jack Della Maddalena and Reinier de Ridder. In 2026 he picked up a decision win over Randy Brown, the latest chapter in a famously busy career.

Fighting style

Holland is a finisher first, with 14 knockouts and 9 submissions accounting for the bulk of his wins and a finish rate near 79%. His long, loose-limbed striking, spinning attacks, and creativity from range make him dangerous in any exchange, and his jiu-jitsu black belt gives him a real submission threat off his back and in scrambles. The book on him is consistent, too: pressure wrestlers and grinders have repeatedly out-positioned him, and several of his nine decision losses came against opponents who took him down and controlled the pace. At his best, though, Holland is one of the more unpredictable and entertaining strikers in the division.

Career highlights

• Five wins in 2020 — capped a breakout campaign by knocking out former title challenger Ronaldo Souza in one round to crash the middleweight rankings.
• Two-division force — competed and finished opponents at both middleweight and welterweight, scoring knockouts and submissions in each weight class.
• Volume and durability — built a 29-15 record over more than 50 pro fights with 23 wins by knockout or submission, one of the busiest acts in the UFC.