Roman Dolidze and Kevin Holland meet later tonight, at the main card opener for UFC 307โs pay-per-view (PPV) lineup. When the pair of middleweights top a loaded lineup in Utah, Holland had some special custom shorts in mind. During Thursdayโs Official Media Day conference, โTrailblazerโ let on some noble yet quirkily good thoughts on it.
Holland has always shown his willingness to pitch in and even defended brass against fighter pay. He argued that activity is what gets the big bucks for his third fight of 2024, and 11th in the past three years. Other than that, Kevin Holland is also a quirky guy who engages in gags and rivalries. Now, the ever-likable fighter says he wanted pink shorts for his fondness of big bosom and symbolism of breast cancer awareness.
Yea, you know, โฆgottaโฆGotta look out for the b**bies. So breast cancer awareness, Iโm all about it. Plus I like pink, especially when it donโt stinkโฆ
Kevin Holland to media scrum during Thursdayโs Official UFC 307 Media Day conference
Cancer awareness is nothing new in combat sports culture. The all-women 115-pound cast ofย The Ultimate Fighter, with breast surgeon Dr. Margaret Terhar MD, FACS, once spread awareness on it. It hit close to home for ex-champ Anthony Pettis. Anthony Rocco Martin dedicated a win to his mom who had stage 4 breast cancer. Even Bellatorโs Poliana Botelhoย went viral for the same. Then thereโs WWE future HOF John Cena and his similarly pink theme merch.
Kevin Holland explains why he wants pink shorts for #UFC307 and completely lets his intrusive thoughts takeover. ๐
โGotta look out for the boobies. So breast cancer awareness, Iโm all about it.โ
โPlus I like pink, especially when it donโt stink.โ#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/gB3BNlvkSX
โ Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) October 3, 2024
Per nationalbreastcancer.org, October is picking up on it again as Breast Cancer Awareness Month for the 360,000+ people diagnosed this year. Hollandโs intentions, quirky or not, fit right in. It also suits the new Venum Sports outfitting lineup, with many new custom kits released this year alone. These are the little tidbits that make the fighter so likeable. Something he hopes to stretch into yet another win.
Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland UFC 307: What to know
Filling out the main card will be an intriguing middleweight clash between Dolidze and Holland. Both the Team Travis Lutter BJJ fighter and his opponent are wildmen in the truest sense. Roman Dolidze (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) vs. Holland is a clash of 185lbers who have found their stride in recent fights.
After two straight losses, Roman Dolidze defeated Anthony Smith by unanimous decision last June. โTrailblazerโ was also in the same boat, on a two-fight skid. Until he snapped it with a technical submission of Michaล Oleksiejczuk in June. Kevin Holland (26-11 MMA, 13-8 UFC) made a successful stride at UFC 302. Heโs now on a neat 9-4 stat at the weight class.
Dolidze and Holland are deceptively dangerous from many positions. But neither consistently gets the job done. Holland has shown a good mix of ground and hit pocket. That being said, Dolidze has shown the wrestling and clinch fighting that has thwarted Holland in the past โ especially at 185. Consequently, the oddsmakers have Holland as a slight fave at -154 and Dolidze at +120 via FanDuel.
Dolidze and Holland are expected to enter the bind at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET (8:45 p.m. local time in Salt Lake City). The fight will air on ESPN+.
