
Kevin Holland and Reinier de Ridder kicked off the UFC 311 main card at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California on Saturday.
Holland was entering pro fight #40, while de Ridder was competing in his second UFC bout after achieving double-champ status for ONE before jumping ship last year.
Off the opening bell of the middleweight fight, de Ridder immediately grabbed a leg and converted a single-leg takedown. Holland threw up an arm-bar, but RDR was able to defend it. He got back on top, and after a moment settled into Holland’s guard. Holland, as Holland tends to do, was talking – to his opponent, and to the ref. As for de Ridder, he landed an elbow that cut open Holland, then dropped lefts and rights after returning to his feet, with Holland maintaining a closed guard off his back.
Moments later, de Ridder took the back, with Holland standing back up. The Dutchman was high up and in danger of sliding off the top; they wound up going to the ground, with de Ridder sinking in a body lock. The rear-naked choke was sunk in itself moments later, and shortly after, Kevin Holland was forced to tap!
After a bit of a rocky start against Gerald Meerschaert (though he did come away with the win), Reinier de Ridder got the dominant win he was looking for to impress UFC fans. Following the fight, speaking with UFC analyst Joe Rogan, RDR called for a top five opponent next.
Official Result: Reinier de Ridder def. Kevin Holland by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:31