What just went down at UFC 318? Kevin Holland, long known for his consistency and crowd-pleasing style, was expected to shine, but Daniel Rodriguez had other plans. Defying the odds, ‘D-Rod’ rocked Holland and delivered a performance that turned heads. Outclassing the favorite, Rodriguez didn’t just win, he made a statement. In front of Dana White and the entire MMA world, he reminded everyone why he belongs on the big stage, seizing the spotlight and walking away with all eyes on him.

This fight was perhaps one of the first times fans witnessed Kevin Holland visibly in trouble on the feet.  The second round had ‘D-Rod’ seriously hurt Holland and backing him up, and quite a few instances where ‘Trailblazer’ could have been finished. Rodriguez picked up the pressure on Holland in the second round, making sure that ‘Trailblazer’ feels the heat within the Octagon.

Dropping the fan favorite with a big right hand for the second time, Rodriguez cleared his thoughts about winning the bout. ‘D-Rod ”s immense pressure nearly put Holland out cold; however, he survived the stoppage as Rodriguez rained down brutal ground-and-pound strikes to finish the second round in his favour as well.

Luckily, he was able to survive and even come back strong in the third round. Sadly for him, he was running on empty by the third and couldn’t do enough to secure the finish. The defeat did put a dark stain on his career as the MMA community rushed to have their opinion on the performance.

Fans react to Kevin Holland’s UFC 318 with disappointment

Kevin Holland wanted to fight seven times this year; however, with his loss against Rodriguez, things might be a bit too difficult for him now. His loss garnered a ton of reaction from the fans. Looking at his performance, controversial fighter Dillon Danis wrote, “Losing to fucking Daniel Rodriguez bum a–?  That’s gotta be the most embarrassing moment of your career. This is an all-time low, Kevin Holland. I know I’ve said you sucked before, but you’re genuinely terrible.”

Furthermore, one of the fans took to his X handle to assert that Holland’s reputation really took a hit after the defeat:” Kevin Holland took a dive for the sportsbooks.” One fan added that ‘D-Rod’ trembled in the later rounds but Holland failed to capitalize on the moment,” Kevin Holland has to be the lowest IQ fighter in UFC history. Big time dumb. Rodriguez was out on his feet.” Howeever, one should know that Rodriguez kept the pressure on him till the last bell rang. One fun fact about the ‘D-Rod’ and the UFC is that Daniel Rodriguez is now the 8th #DWCS vet to win 10 or more bouts in the UFC.

Another frustrated fan took to his X handle to call out Holland for his fumble,” Kevin Holland with the most frustrating fumble of a win by losing a plumb dominant position and getting reversed.” Despite the hate, one of the social media users took Holland’s side and added, “I love Kevin Holland. Absolute chaos. The hate is so forced.” 

Last but not the least, one of the social media users who might have just lost some money on Kevin Holland wrote, “Kevin Holland needs to just quit. Such a loser. Had D rods lights out and dumb as hell and can’t finish the fight when he needed to finish him. That’s just pathetic man. Had a perfect lineup. And I never bet Dan I’ve or Holland, and did that tonight. Never again. Losers”

Kevin Holland had expressed interest in fighting Colby Covington down the line, but it appears that his demands may no longer be entertained by UFC CEO Dana White following his defeat. Regardless, ‘Trailblazer’s’ performance at UFC 318 was still an absolute banger.