UFC Welterweights Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez treated Vecht fans to one of the biggest leftovers in the history of the promotion.
About an hour before BMF title holder Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier entered the cage for their headliner at UFC 318, Welterweights Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez fans with a BMF-like fire brigade on the main map.
Van Holland and Rodriguez were expected to put a wild war in the Octagon on UFC 318. But on a map with two UFC legends, their goodweight matchup flew under the radar.
The fight delivered an immediate classic finish that sent the New Orleans in a frenzy.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez Round 3 is one of the biggest periods of five minutes in UFC history
Holland and Rodriguez went behind the opening horn, while the two large shots threw in the opening minutes of the fight. Both hunters landed 48 strikes each in an incredibly narrow first round of the game.
Rodriguez took the pressure on Holland in round 2 and dropped the UFC fan favorite with a large right hand that sent Dutch eyes to the back of his head. Although Holland was almost cold, he was able to survive a break while Rodriguez rained brutal ground and pound strikes to finish the second round.
😲 Kevin Holland Réussit à survivre après ce magnifique contre de Daniel Rodriguez! #Rmcmma #ufc318 pic.twitter.com/lyflqzonff
– RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportcombat) July 20, 2025
Round 3 will be etched in UFC history forever. Holland was on the edge of a victory of the coming backlog when he dropped Rodriguez with a right work. A gassed Rodriguez appears about to stop, but miraculously weathered the ground-and-pound offense of Holland and escaped an annoying attempt by d'Arce Choke.
The tide turns with the knockdown 🤯
[ #UFC318 | @TrailBlaze2Top ] pic.twitter.com/jg7wml7mx0
– UFC (@UFC) July 20, 2025
While the seconds ticked in round 3, Rodriguez was able to return to the upper Mount and Holland while the fight concluded. After three rounds, Rodriguez earned the unanimous decision nod.
UFC fans fell on social media and watched Holland vs. Rodriguez.
“Holland vs. d rod Fight of the Night,” wrote former two-part UFC champion Henry Cejudo on X.
“What a banger you have to give these boys 50k. Congratulations D-Rod,” said UFC Vederweight Brian Ortega.
“This is completely outside the rails,” wrote a fan.
“Fight the night! Give them the bonus!”
“That was a **** of a fight!”
“They both emptied their gas tanks! Never a boring fight with Kevin Holland.”
“Photy candidate! Third round was the best round in a long time!”
“Pure heart of both men!”
“That was great. Insane to look!”
“Give them the championship rounds!”
Earlier this year, Holland entered UFC 318 from back-to-back victories over Gunnar Nelson and Vicente Luque. On Saturday, Holland's fourth battle of the year marked a few months to go.
Rodriguez will enter the top 15 of the Welterweight after UFC 318 after his third consecutive victory. He beat Santiago Ponzinibbio and Alex Morono in recent months after a threefold losing series.
Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez has added to a wild night at UFC 318
Holland vs. Rodriguez was not the only big highlight of an eventful evening at UFC 318.
Former UFC Middleweight Challenger Paulo Costa returned to the winning column after a three -year break with a unanimous decision victory on Roman Kopylov. Earlier on the UFC 318 -head card, Michael Johnson pulled off the upset of the night by opening Daniel Zellhuber.
Middle weights Ateba Gautier and Brunno Ferreira earned wild finishes on the Prelims, and the hero of the birth city of Carli Judice started the night with a knee knockout.
Get the latest highlights and news from UFC 318 here at Bloody Elbow.