UFC 311: Kevin Holland Says He “Grappled Less” Preparing for RDR

Los Angeles — Before his appearance at Wednesday’s UFC 311 media day, Kevin Holland was honored for passing a milestone: 50 clean tests under the UFC’s Anti-Doping Program.

Jeff Novitzky, UFC Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, awarded him with the traditional letterman jacket for the accomplishment.

Then it was on to media day, with Holland (26-12, 1NC) paired up against former ONE Championship star and double-champ Reinier de Ridder at this Saturday’s event in Los Angeles. The pairing is a solid step up in profile for RDR, and another example of the UFC booking Holland in high-profile fights against big name up-and-comers (as was the case in his fight with Khamzat Chimaev).

Still, it’s Holland, and life outside fighting for Holland always seems a bit crazy. Case in point, he recently had one of his guns stolen out of his truck.

“Somebody actually broke the window on the truck when we were out eating in Houston — and I love that city — and they stole my bag out of the car. I keep a survival bag in the car, just in case, you never know what’s going to happen,” explained Holland. “And I had a nice Kimber in there, sometimes I transfer the guns from this spot to that spot. So I had my Kimber in there; they got the Kimber. So that sucks. I really liked that Kimber too, I was just shooting bunnies with it the day before.”

Kevin Holland might actually know more about guns than he knows about opponent de Ridder, though that might also be the American keeping his cards close to his chest. “I know he had a pretty decent career at ONE, I know he lost all that before he came over here,” noted Holland when asked about RDR. “So just keep moving.”

He had a little more to say when asked about the grappling aspect of the fight. Reinier de Ridder has 12 wins by submission. Holland doesn’t appear concerned about “The Dutch Knight’s” ground game.

“I probably grappled less getting ready for this guy. If he subs me, that would be f*cking crazy. I don’t think he does anything that great on the ground,” claimed Holland. Acknowledging that de Ridder’s fight with Gerald Meerschaert was “fun” and GM3 is a tough opponent to face, “that being said Meerschaert just made a slight mistake. Had Meerschaert not made that mistake, I think in round three Meerschaert would have won that fight. The guy was ready to quit.”

If all goes well for Kevin Holland at UFC 311 and he comes out unscathed, the “Trailblazer” is hoping for a busy 2025, and as many as six fights.

“Ideal would be six times,” said Holland, who pointed out that he stayed busy even in 2020, a year ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. “This year I’m starting off really, really early with it being January, and I’ve got plenty of time to work. So I think six would be easy. Realistically, I could probably do seven and make sure nobody ever catches up again.”

Watch the full UFC 311 media day appearance by Kevin Holland above.