Will Khamzat Chimaev fight Kevin Holland on December 19, 2020?

Kevin Holland had an excellent year, having fought five times and won at each outing. In a year that saw several fighters pulling out and several fights getting cancelled, Kevin Holland put together a great run in 2020.

In his latest UFC outing, the 'Trailblazer' got the better of Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza in a brilliant knockout from the bottom. 'Jacare' Souza had him on the mat, but Kevin Holland created some space and in a slingshot motion, landed a massive right on Souza that hurt him badly.

A few more punches made the referee intervene and prevent Kevin Holland from further damaging a semi-conscious Jacare.

Kevin Holland: “I had a dream about this” Couple of seconds later 👇#UFC256 pic.twitter.com/L64l7iONq9

— Submission Radio (@SubmissionRadio) December 13, 2020

As mentioned, this was Kevin Holland's fifth fight in the year. But soon afterwards in the post-fight interview, he called out Khamzat Chimaev for a sixth scrap, one week from today.

Speaking to ESPN post-event, UFC President Dana White gave his opinion on whether a Kevin Holland vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight can happen next Saturday at UFC Vegas 17.

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UFC to not book Kevin Holland for a Khamzat Chimaev fight next week

Dana White said there is no possibility of that fight happening, as UFC has already booked the Leon Edwards fight for Chimaev.

The two were originally set to meet on December 19 at UFC Vegas 17, but Edwards had to pull out because of a positive COVID test. Kevin Holland wanted to step in and make that fight happen.

"Yeah, that's not happening. (Khamzat) Chimaev already has a fight. We have a fight lined up for him."

The Chimaev vs. Edwards fight has been rebooked for January 20.

Just finished up an interview with Dana White who tells me that the plan is to have Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev headline the Wednesday, January 20th card, which is targeted to take place in Abu Dhabi.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 10, 2020

Dana White praised Kevin Holland for his performance. He was awarded a $50,000 bonus for Performance of the Night as well. The UFC President pointed out that he was very impressed by Kevin Holland and quite happy for the year he has had, winning fights and making money.

"Kevin Holland... I love that kid. He's fun, he's exciting, he's got a great attitude. He loves to fight. What he did tonight was very impressive. That kid has made a lot of money this year. You know? How do you make money? You fight, stay active. He has made a lot of money. I am happy for him, couldn't have happened to a better person."