Vicente Luque-Kevin Holland Scrap Booked for UFC 316 in June

It might come as a surprise that the Ultimate Fighting Championship has not booked this matchup before.

The UFC made official a short list of matches on Friday for UFC 316 on June 7. The promotion confirmed several bouts already reported, including its headliner of Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2 and the co-main of Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison. One new fight not previously on the books takes place at 170 pounds, in the form of a banger between Vicente Luque (23-10-1) and Kevin Holland (27-13, 1 NC). The two contenders will throw down inside of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, likely as part of the main card.

Although he has lost three out of five dating back to 2022, things are not entirely grim for the well-traveled Luque. In his last three outings, Luque took a decision over Rafael dos Anjos in a five-rounder, succumbed to strikes from Joaquin Buckley and rebounded in December by throttling Themba Gorimbo with an anaconda choke. The submission, which took place in under a minute, elevated the finish rate of “The Silent Assassin” to a stellar 87%.

With plenty of struggles on his own side of the equation, Holland bounced back into the win column in March by outworking Gunnar Nelson on the scorecards. This put a pair of first-round stoppage losses to Roman Dolidze and Reinier de Ridder at middleweight in the rear-view mirror. While not quite as high as the Brazilian’s, “Trailblazer” has earned 81% of his wins inside the distance.

UFC 316 goes down at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7. The main attraction comes in the form of a rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley for the bantamweight throne. The co-headliner is also for the bantamweight title, albeit for the ladies, as Julianna Pena puts her strap on the line against Kayla Harrison. Other bouts featured high on the billing include a 135-pound brawl between Marlon Vera and Mario Bautista, and a significant flyweight pairing when Joshua Van faces Bruno Silva.