Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fan favorite and workhorse Kevin Holland opens the UFC 316 main card this weekend (Sat., June 7, 2025) against No. 14-ranked welterweight Vicente Luque at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Having returned to the welterweight division, Holland was asked during UFC 316 media day about the UFC 315 title fight and former champion Belal Muhammad. Surprisingly, “Trailblazer” expressed satisfaction with Muhammad’s loss.
“So it was pretty cool to see Belal lose the belt,” Holland said during UFC 316 media day. “I thought Belal was going to lose the belt, regardless. I said a long time ago, when Islam was teaching him to hold the belt, that if anyone was going to take it from him, it would be Islam. I thought Islam would come up and take it.”
“I’ve never thought the world of Belal,” Holland continued. “He’s a hard worker, he puts in the work, but camps boil down to who’s going to put in the most work. As long as you outwork him during the camp, you can damn sure outwork him in the fight. That’s all he really has—work ethic.”
“Remember the Name” didn’t take kindly to Holland’s remarks and fired back on social media.
“It’s always the ones that’ll never touch gold that have the most to say,” the former champ wrote. “Doesn’t this bum lose every other fight he’s in?”
If u fight every month and lose every month are you the most active fighter or the most active loser
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) June 4, 2025
Holland responded quickly on Instagram, questioning Muhammad’s legitimacy as a champion due to his lack of title defenses.
“Shout-out to anybody who’s successfully gotten a UFC belt, props to you,” Holland said. “But if you haven’t defended the belt, did you really get a f—king belt? Isn’t that what you all said about Conor?”
Muhammad responded with another jab, targeting Holland’s frequent fights.
“If you fight every month and lose every month, are you the most active fighter or the most active loser?” Muhammad wrote.
It’s always the ones that’ll never touch gold that have the most to say doesn’t This bum lose every other fight he’s in
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) June 4, 2025
Holland is coming off a unanimous decision win over Gunnar Nelson at UFC London in March 2025, which followed a first-round submission loss toReinier de Ridder in January (watch highlights).
“Big Mouth” got the last word against Muhammad, expressing his willingness to fight him. He shared a 2019 direct message screenshot showing both fighters discussing a potential matchup, proving the bad blood isn’t new.
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CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLE-DIP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., June 7, 2025, with a championship doubleheader headlining UFC 316 from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In UFC 316’s PPV main event, Bantamweight roost-ruler, Merab Dvalishvili, defends his title against former division champion, Sean O’Malley, in a highly-anticipated five-round rematch. UFC 316’s PPV co-main event features women’s Bantamweight titleholder, Julianna Pena, facing off against two-time Olympic gold medalist, Kayla Harrison, in a thrilling five-round clash. UFC 316 will also showcase a 135-pound showdown between Patchy Mix vs. Mario Bautista, as well as a Welterweight bout pitting Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland and much more! UFC 316’s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (“Early Prelims”), 8 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).
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