Los Angeles, California is a city of big personalities, and will be home to one more when Kevin Holland touches down on the week of January 18th, 2025 for UFC 311.
MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin reported that the energetic, brash trash talker will take on ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder, a slick grappler who won belts at two different weights in ONE Championship, the leading promotion in Asia.
This should be a classic striker vs. grappler matchup; although both men possess some skill in their weaker realm, they also have fatal flaws. Most of Holland's losses have come against wrestlers, while de Ridder has only lost twice in MMA, both times to the brutal striking power of Anatoly Malykhin.
De Ridder debuted in the UFC on November 11th, whereupon he submitted long-time veteran and great grappler Gerald Meerschaert.
It is perhaps a mark of the interest the promotion is showing in RDR that it took less three weeks to schedule him with his next opponent.
Holland last competed on October 5th against ranked middleweight Roman Dolidze, who ended the fight by injuring Kevin's rib while grappling him.
As a result of Kevin being left rolling on the ground in pain, it is a bit of a surprise to see him booked to fight scarcely 3 months later.
Yet we should all know by now, that is who ‘Big Mouth’ is. He talks a big game, and he backs it up by competing wherever, whenever.
