One of the best fights in the history of the UFC was delivered to fight fans by UFC welterweights Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez.
On the main card of UFC 318, welterweights Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez delighted fans with a BMF-style brawl approximately an hour before BMF champion Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier took the ring for their main event.
At UFC 318, Holland and Rodriguez were anticipated to engage in a furious duel inside the Octagon. On a card that featured two UFC greats as the main attraction, however, their welterweight bout went unnoticed. The fight’s immediate iconic ending drove the fans in New Orleans into a frenzy.
Recap of the rounds
During the first few minutes of the bout, Holland and Rodriguez fired heavy strikes and went for it from the first horn. The fight’s opening round was incredibly close, with both competitors landing 48 strikes apiece. In Round 2, Rodriguez increased the pressure on Holland, dropping the UFC fan favourite with a powerful right hand that caused Holland’s gaze to stray to the back of his head. Even though Holland was on the verge of losing the fight, he managed to withstand a stoppage as Rodriguez delivered vicious ground-and-pound blows to end the second round. The third round will always be remembered in UFC history. Holland felled Rodriguez with a right uppercut just as a comeback victory was about to happen. At this point, Rodriguez manages to climb to the summit. Holland can reverse the cage, but both men are exhausted now. This is a crazy scene. Towards the end of the fight, Rodriguez successfully moves to mount after giving up on his choke attempt. Despite appearing to be about to give up, a tired Rodriguez managed to withstand Holland’s ground-and-pound tactics and avoid a brutal d’arce choke submission attempt.
THE TIDE IS TURNING WITH THE KNOCKDOWN 🤯
[ #UFC318 | @TrailBlaze2Top ] pic.twitter.com/JG7Wml7mX0
— UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2025
With both competitors floored and forced to overcome hardship during 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, this turned out to be a true dogfight. However, Rodriguez’s early aggression helped him win the opening round, and despite a dramatic comeback by his opponent in the third round, a strong second stanza in which he floored Holland twice was sufficient to guarantee his victory by unanimous decision (29-28 x3).
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