The first pay-per-view main card of the year opens at middleweight as the ever-active Kevin Holland steps in alongside Reinier de Ridder.

Holland split two fights in his return to middleweight last summer, picking up a first-round submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302 before a rib injury forced his corner to withdraw from his UFC 306 clash with Roman Dolidze between the first and second round to cancel the second round. The 32-year-old ‘Trailblazer’ has always enjoyed competing as often as possible and with a start on the second card of the year, it is possible that Holland will aim for the record for most fights in a calendar year in 2025.

MORE: Five Kevin Holland fights to watch

There was a lot of buzz surrounding de Ridder’s arrival towards the end of last year, as the Dutch middleweight won two divisions under the ONE Championship banner. Together with the clever veteran Gerald Meerschaert, the 34-year-old had to fight hard on his debut before finally sinking into an arm triangle stranglehold at the beginning of the last round and securing the victory.

Like most fights involving Holland, this one can go in a few different directions, and it largely depends on how he goes about things. There’s no question that de Ridder wants to take this fight to the canvas and take advantage of his grappling skills, which have appeared to be Holland’s Achilles heel at times, but the Texan should have a significant edge in terms of athleticism, speed and… striking.

One can only guess how the whole thing will develop.