Holland, Luque call for short-notice bout, but UFC elevates Emmett-Mitchell
Welterweight Kevin Holland offered to step up on two days' notice to face Vicente Luque at UFC 296 after Ian Machado Garry fell off the card due to an illness, but it appears Saturday's event will move on without the new matchup.
The UFC opted to elevate a featherweight bout between Josh Emmett and Bryce Mitchell to the pay-per-view main card, according to its official website. Luque is no longer listed on the card, which will proceed with 12 fights.
Holland implied Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was willing to fill in against Luque. In a separate post, Holland proposed the fight take place at an 180-pound catchweight.
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
Holland's manager, Oren Hodak, confirmed to MMA Fighting's Mike Heck that he reached out to UFC brass and told them Holland was serious about fighting Luque.
Luque said Thursday in a video he posted on social media that he was open to the Holland fight.
"I saw that Kevin Holland wants to jump in to substitute for the fight Saturday night," Luque said. "I want to tell you guys I'm down. 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."
It's unclear why Luque-Holland didn't materialize. The promotion held a prefight press conference Thursday, and there was no mention of the matchup.
Luque was initially scheduled to face Garry in a highly anticipated battle of welterweight contenders, but UFC CEO Dana White announced Wednesday that Garry had been removed from the matchup after he contracted pneumonia.
In the UFC 296 main event in Las Vegas, Leon Edwards will defend the welterweight title against Colby Covington.