Kicking off the PPV main card tomorrow night at UFC 311 is a very intriguing matchup in the middleweight division between two guys trying to crack the top fifteen. One of the more charismatic fighters in the promotion in Kevin Holland (26-12, 1 NC) will be taking on former two-division ONE champion Reinier De Ridder (18-2).
Starting with Kevin Holland, back in 2020, he was one of the fighters of the year with five big time middleweight wins which put him into contention at 185. However, after back-to-back losses against Marvin Vettori and Derek Brunson, Holland moved down to 170 where he saw some success. However, he was never a fan of the weight cut.
He moved back up to 185 and submitted Michal Oleksiejczuk in the first round last June. He then fought Roman Dolidze in October and lost in between rounds due to a rib injury. Holland has decided to stay at 185 and now he’ll face a former world champion.
Reinier De Ridder made his octagon debut back in November against Gerald Meerschaert. After a back-and-forth battle, De Ridder was able to secure a third round submission to win his UFC debut. He said it was important for him to get right back in there because he wasn’t happy with his performance. Well, he draws a big name tomorrow night in Kevin Holland.
UFC 311 Prediction
The biggest issue for Kevin Holland has always been his takedown defense and that could come into play tomorrow night. While Holland has incredible and often overlooked jiu jitsu, his wrestling defense hasn’t been great at all. It was one of the main reasons he dropped to welterweight.
On the feet, Holland is a sniper with a ton of speed, power, and length. Reinier De Ridder is a specialist and we know where he wants this fight. He’ll want to take this down to the ground and he’ll want to get it there fast. He cannot afford to stand and trade with Kevin Holland. After watching De Ridder strike against Gerald Meerschaert, it’s safe to say he would get lit up by Holland on the feet.
If I hadn’t seen Holland struggle so much with bigger grapplers in the past, I would be picking him tomorrow night. He’s just a much better all-around fighter than De Ridder. However, I think De Ridder will be able to get enough takedowns and have enough ground control to win at least two rounds at UFC 311.
Prediction: Reinier De Ridder by Decision