Kevin Holland Returns to Face Former Two-Division Champion at UFC 311

The UFC will open its 2024 PPV schedule with UFC 311 in Los Angeles.

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The UFC’s first PPV event of 2025 has added a huge matchup featuring a fan favorite and a former two-weight champion fresh off his promotional debut.

Kevin Holland vs. Reinier De Ridder Added To UFC 311

The UFC is set to close out this year’s PPV schedule next week with UFC 310 before a year-ending UFC Fight Night event in Tampa, FL on December 14, and after that combat sports fans will have to wait nearly a month for the Octagon to return on January 11.

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The promotion will follow up that first of the year card with UFC 311 on January 18, and according to the report from Alex Behunin a huge middleweight bout between Kevin Holland and Reinier de Ridder has been added to that event.

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Roman Dolidze (red gloves) fights Kevin Holland (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

One of the more popular fighters on the UFC roster, Holland has competed at both middleweight and light heavyweight since joining the UFC off of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018 and most recently had a UFC 307 matchup with Roman Dolidze cut short when “Trailblazer” suffered a rib injury.

The 32-year-old will have a big chance to get back into the win column at UFC 311 when he faces de Ridder, who was a two-division titleholder during his time with ONE Championship before he joined the UFC this year and submitted Gerald Meerschaert in his promotional debut earlier this month.

Reinier de Ridder of The Netherlands punches Gerald Meerschaert in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. / (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

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The middleweight matchup is another strong addition to UFC 311, although fans are still waiting on confirmation of if a rumored lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan will in fact serve as the card’s headliner.

UFC 311 takes place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, CA on January 18, and after adding Holland vs. de Ridder the event is currently shaping up like this:

• Jiří Procházka vs. Jamahal Hall

• Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac

• Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder

• Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov

• Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov

• Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez

• Zach Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas

• Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos

• Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj

• Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira

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