MMA
Kevin Holland denies being Contender Series fighter Dana White claims has made over $11M in UFC career
Published
2 months agoon
Dana White made a surprising comment about a former Contender Series fighter making big money and all signs pointed to it being Kevin Holland.
Just one problem: Holland says it isn't him.
Following Tuesday's Contender Series show, White spoke to the media and told reporters the opportunity to earn a UFC contract on the long-running program has been a win for the promotion and fighters. He specifically mentioned that one fighter, who had never even competed in a world title fight, had already made over $11 million. White did not name the fighter.
“This show has paid fighters that have come off it, like, $225 million over the last 10 years and one of the guys that never fought for a world title, has made over $11 million dollars.
“So staying active and keeping yourself out there and in everybody's face is not only good financially, but you have a very limited amount of time to make a lot of money in any sport. So staying active is the move. I love it.â€
The MMA community immediately went to work trying to figure out who the mystery fighter is, a presumably narrow list given that the entry-level contract earned through Contender Series has been disclosed as $12,000 to show and $12,000 to win. It wasn't long before Holland was picked out from the pack.
Holland has fought 29 times since joining the UFC in 2018, after competing on Contender Series but not initially receiving a contract. During his time in the promotion he has recorded 10 Fight Night bonuses (One Fight of the Night and nine Performance of the Night awards), each worth $50,000. He has also frequently taken bouts on short notice, which typically results in higher pay.
Adding in potential sponsorship opportunities available to him as a UFC fighter, Holland seems to be the only person White could have been talking about, but Holland later made comments on social media denying he's the fighter in question.
“That fighter's not me,†Holland said. “I'm just now waking up. I'll tell you all right now, that fighter's not me. Don't listen to that shit.â€
He also responded to a graphic, writing, “Boss talking about someone else wish it was me.â€
It's entirely possible it's Holland and he doesn't want the public talking about his financials, or maybe White is simply mistaken in how he described the $11-million fighter (Sean O'Malley, Jamahal Hill, Jack Della Maddalena, and Carlos Ulberg have all come out of Contender Series to win UFC titles, but White claimed the fighter has never been in a title fight). For now, the mystery remains.
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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
16 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€
Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.
“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€
Alex
Pereira reveals what upset him about the UFC’s decision not to
book him against Ciryl Gane
or Josh
Hokit: “What got me more upset at that time was because they
told me that I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or
fight Hokit. And then none of that happened. Coming from a loss,
fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than fighting
Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit would be a
much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter Campbell],
we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine. Pavlovich is
a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in a technical
way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good fight for
me.â€â€” Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates
Published
17 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.
For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.
“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …
“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€
Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.
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