Kevin Holland is moving to 170 pounds.
The 29 year-old “Trailblazer” today told his OnlyFans subscribers (via MMA Junkie) that his next fight will come against struggling Brazilian welterweight Alex Oliveira, a three-round contest expected to land on the UFC 272 pay-per-view (PPV) card on March 5 in Las Vegas.
Holland (21-7) was on his way to becoming a major player at 185 pounds, thanks to a five-fight win streak that included a knockout victory over longtime contender Ronaldo Souza. Unfortunately, the outspoken “Contender Series” graduate was unable to keep his momentum going, losing back-to-back fights against Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori before registering a “No Contest” opposite Kyle Daukaus.
Perhaps the grass will prove greener on the other side.
The once-promising Oliveira (22-11) has been on a slow and steady decline over the last few years, dropping three straight and six of his last eight. “Cowboy,” who turns 34 in just a few weeks, was last seen dropping a unanimous decision to Niko Price at the UFC Vegas 38 event back in October and may be fighting for his job this March in “Sin City.”
UFC 272 is currently without a headliner after the injured Max Holloway withdrew from his Alex Volkanovski fight. That said, the bantamweight rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan remains safely intact, as does the featherweight banger between Edson Barboza and Bryce Mitchell.
For now.