Connect with us

MMA

Kevin Holland denies being Contender Series fighter Dana White claims has made over $11M in UFC career

Published

6 hours ago

on

Kevin Holland denies being Contender Series fighter Dana White claims has made over $11M in UFC career

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.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Kai Asakura vows to show ‘new combination’ in UFC Shanghai KO bid

Published

1 hour ago

on

August 26, 2026

By

Kai Asakura vows to show ‘new combination’ in UFC Shanghai KO bid
Kai
Asakura wants to showcase improvement in his next bout.

The former
Rizin Fighting Federation champ endured a disappointing start
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, getting finished in his first
two appearances. He then secured a win after moving up to
bantamweight and is set to meet Qileng Aori
next at
UFC Shanghai.

Kai Asakura targets Qileng Aori knockout after successful move
to bantamweight

Asakura recorded his first win in the UFC against Cameron
Smotherman earlier this year. He claims he's settled in nicely
at bantamweight and vowed to finish Aori when they clash on Aug. 29
to extend his win streak. However, he isn't just looking for a win,
stating that he wants to show off some new moves as well en route
to finding the knockout.

“I will knock him out and I will show a new combination this
Saturday,†Asakura said at UFC Shanghai media day.

The Japanese fighter also revealed that he wants to stay active and
compete again before the end of the year. Additionally, Asakura
expressed interest in fighting in his native Japan, where he
expects strong interest in a UFC event.

Continue Reading

MMA

Ronda Rousey trains with Jena Bishop ahead of Liz Carmouche rematch

Published

2 hours ago

on

August 26, 2026

By

Ronda Rousey trains with Jena Bishop ahead of Liz Carmouche rematch
Jena
Bishop has an
Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer helping her
prepare for the biggest fight of her career.

The
Professional Fighters League recently shared a photo showing
Bishop training with Ronda
Rousey ahead of the former's rematch with Liz
Carmouche for the inaugural PFL women’s flyweight
championship.

Jena Bishop challenges Liz Carmouche for the inaugural PFL
women's flyweight championship after training with Ronda
Rousey

Bishop will face Carmouche in the main event of
PFL Chicago on Oct. 16 at Wintrust Arena. The bout will crown
the promotion’s first women’s flyweight champion and mark its first
new title since the PFL’s merger with
Most Valuable Promotions.

The clash is a rematch of last year’s PFL women’s flyweight
tournament final. Carmouche stopped Bishop in the third round of
that meeting, but the latter has since rebounded with victories
over Borena
Tsertsvadze and Ariane
Lipski da Silva. Carmouche enters following a submission win
over Viviane
Araujo in June.

Rousey, who became the face of women’s MMA during her UFC run, also
has a history with Carmouche, having defeated her at UFC
157 in 2013, in the first defense of her UFC women’s
bantamweight title and her Octagon debut.

Continue Reading

MMA

Umar Nurmagomedov not taking Yadong Song lightly: Not an easy fight

Published

4 hours ago

on

August 26, 2026

By

Umar Nurmagomedov not taking Yadong Song lightly: 'Not an easy fight'
Umar
Nurmagomedov expects a difficult test when he meets Yadong Song
in their upcoming main event in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Nurmagomedov is looking to extend his win streak to three straight
at
UFC Shanghai and the Russian is well aware of the challenge
ahead of him in China's Song.

Umar Nurmagomedov expects a difficult UFC Shanghai main event
against Yadong Song

Nurmagomedov has picked up two decision wins since suffering the
lone loss of his professional career to Merab
Dvalishvili in their bantamweight title fight back in January
last year. He's beaten Mario
Bautista and Deiveson
Figueiredo via unanimous decision to return to winning form and
defeating Song in the Chinese 135-pounder's home country could put
the Dagestani back in the title mix.

Nevertheless, Nurmagomedov is focused on the task at hand against a
well-rounded opponent and isn't thinking about the title.

“Of course, I’m going to be happy to do a knockout, you know, but
this guy is not an easy fight,†Nurmagomedov said in a recent
interview. “And I will, I will, we both, I think, we’re going to
show what they mean by mixed martial arts.â€

Nurmagomedov also emphasized that his motivation extends beyond the
title picture. With Petr Yan and
Dvalishvili set to meet in a trilogy bout for the belt at
UFC 333, the 30-year-old is focused on delivering his best
performance regardless of what happens elsewhere in the
division.

“Of course, I want to show my best version,†Nurmagomedov added. “I
don’t care about that fight, whether they’re going to fight or not,
like, for myself, I want to show my best version.â€

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending