Kevin Holland is happy to step in and take Ian Garry’s slot at UFC 296.
Garry was originally scheduled to square off with Vicente Luque as part of the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year on Saturday night (December 16), but he was unfortunately forced to bow out after coming down with a bout of pneumonia that he couldn’t shake in time for fight night.
With only 48 hours to go until UFC 296 gets underway, many fans just assumed that the contest would be scrapped from the card altogether. However, perennial trash-talker Kevin Holland has offered to step in as Luque’s new opponent.
Here is the deal….I checked with both my wife and my gf, and they said I can fight this weekend,” Holland wrote on X.
Here is the deal….I checked with both my wife and my gf, and they said I can fight this weekend. #UFC296 #WAG
— Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) December 14, 2023
Vicente Luque Accepts Kevin Holland’s Offer
It didn’t take long for Vicente Luque to accept Holland’s offer, suggesting they could run it at a 180-pound catchweight.
So guys, I saw Kevin Holland wants to jump in to substitute for the fight Saturday night and I want to tell you guys, I’m down,” Luque said in a video on Instagram. “So Kevin, if you’re really down to come here, let’s do this. Let’s mix it up. Let’s get in that Octagon and go to war. And hey, I’m willing to do 180 so we can do it at 180, and let’s put on a show for all the crowd.”
With the UFC announcing that Josh Emmett vs. Bryce Mitchell would be promoted to the main card, the likeliest scenario is that the promotion attempts to reschedule Luque vs. Garry for a later date, but with Holland offering to step in and Belal Muhammad already in town to weigh in as the official backup for the main event between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington, there are plenty of options should the UFC want to keep Luque on the card.
Kevin Holland’s last appearance inside the Octagon came in September when he was on the wrong side of a split decision against Jack Della Maddalena. With the loss, ‘Trailblazer’ fell to 2-3 in his last five.
Luque is currently fighting to stay relevant in the welterweight division after dropping two of his last three. Following back-to-back losses against Belal Muhammad and Geoff Neal, ‘The Silent Assassin’ scored a decisive decision against former lightweight world champion Rafael dos Anjos in August.
