UFC 318 live blog: Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez

 This is the UFC 318 live blog for Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez, the main card welterweight bout Saturday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

It’s only July, but when Holland (28-13, 1 NC) steps into the octagon tonight it will already be his fourth fight of 2025. After a loss to Reinier de Ridder in January, Holland dropped back down to 125 pounds to score consecutive victories over Gunnar Nelson and Vicente Luque. Holland has stated his goal is to compete seven times this year and a win over Rodriguez will keep his positive momentum rolling.

Rodriguez (19-5) has won two straight fights, most recently finishing Santiago Ponzinibbio via strikes this past May. He and Holland have been booked to fight twice before, so they’ll both be hoping the third time is a charm. Rodriguez has had a number next to his name before and if he can trip up the active Holland, he could be in range of a top 15 ranking again soon.