One of the most active fighters in UFC history is set to make his return in October.
On Tuesday night, Dana White announced a huge middleweight bout that will headline the promotion’s upcoming return to Vancouver.
The main event between Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez wasn’t the only addition that the UFC president added to the Octagon 18 card.
One fighter, who is known for his constant activity, had hoped to break one of the promotion’s records this year.
While this looks unlikely following several losses, it looks like these setbacks haven’t dampened his goals.
Fans react to Kevin Holland’s return to face Mike Malott on October 18
At UFC 318 last month, Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez put on a fight of the year contender, which saw ‘D-Rod’ pick up one of his biggest wins.
This setback was Holland’s second defeat of the year, having already stepped inside the Octagon on four occasions in 2025.
‘Trailblazer’ is currently tied for the record of having the most UFC wins in a calendar year after producing five consecutive wins in 2020.
Dana White announced that Holland will be back in action on October 18 to face Canadian star Mike Malott in a welterweight matchup.
Fans have regularly expressed concerns that the 32-year-old’s activity is hurting his career, which was especially true in this case considering that he was just beaten in an absolute war just over a month ago.
Across several different posts of the fight announcement, there were questions surrounding Holland’s decision.
‘Great test to see how washed Holland has become.’
‘Kevin on a CTE speedrun.’
‘Another loss for Kevin. This is getting ridiculous. He needs to fight tomato cans for a couple of fights.’
‘Of course Kevin Holland is fighting again.’
‘No matter what happens I’m sure he’ll fight in December too.’
‘His head’s not even in the game anymore, he’s making so much bread. No drive.’
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Two other big matchups were confirmed for UFC Vancouver on October 20
Along with the main event and Kevin Holland’s fifth fight of 2025, the UFC also confirmed two other big bouts that are heading to Canada.
Another home fighter, Aiemann Zahabi, will take on Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in a clash between two top 10 ranked bantamweights.
One of the roster’s other big Canadian stars, Jasmine Jasudavicius, will also be back in action as she puts her #5-ranking at flyweight up against the former title challenger, Manon Fiorot.
With stakes in multiple weight classes, October 20 looks to already be a strong Fight Night card.