Resting between fights is the best way to let the body recover from the damage. This is the sole reason why the higher-ups suspend the fighters for at least 60 days, depending on the damage, following their bouts. But Kevin Holland seems to be the exception to the rule, or rather, making the most of it. And that’s what we’ll see in today’s episode of MMA News Roundup. 

For our second story, we’ll look at the never-ending rivalry between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira as the light heavyweight champion calls the Brazilian out once again. And finally, we’ll see the winners that Alexander Volkanovski picked for UFC 317. So without any further delay, let’s dive right in!

Kevin Holland will fight for the 4th time this year

Kevin Holland began his 2025 run with a first-round submission defeat against the former ONE Championship title holder, Reinier de Ridder. But then, he found his momentum and pushed through Gunnar Nelson on March 22, 2025. He won the fight via a unanimous decision and received the Performance of the Night bonus. After 2 more months, he signed up to fight Vicente Luque and defeated him with an anaconda choke in the second round, receiving another Performance of the Night bonus. 

Now, ‘Trailblazer’ has booked his fourth fight of the year against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 318. With just over a month to recover, Holland has planned to jump back into action. Needless to say, this act has raised some concerns. But this wasn’t the first time he’s engaged in such a rodeo. He fought 4 times in 2022. But it was 2020 that witnessed him fighting in a record 5 UFC bouts and a grappling match.

Now, it’s time to take a look at the light heavyweight title picture. After all, the Russian LHW champion isn’t going to give up on Pereira. 

Magomed Ankalaev calls Alex Pereira for a rematch again

Magomed Ankalaev shook the entire fighting community when he went up against the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira. Ankalaev had his strong ground game in check, and that seemingly worried the man with the hands of stone. ‘Poatan’ was too concerned about clinching, and that ultimately led to his defeat. But the Russian light heavyweight champion wasn’t content with just one win over the Brazilian. 

Taking to X, Ankalaev hinted at a possible rematch against Pereira in October. He wrote, “October I will close the page and this guy career no mercy.” But this is not the first time he said so. Back on 1 June, the Russian claimed that Pereira didn’t really want to fight him anymore. Now, all that we need is a green signal from Dana White and Company. 

Finally, it’s time to talk about UFC 317. The featherweight champion has now weighed in on the matchups set for the main card.

Alexander Volkanovski chooses his winners for UFC 317 

Taking to his YouTube channel, Alexander Volkanovski weighed in on the International Fight Week. Although he wasn’t sure about Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano, he leaned a little bit in the latter’s favor. Next up, he chose Joshua Van to win against Brandon Royval solely because of the damage he can cause from the hype train that he’s riding right now. For the co-main event, Volkanoski hinted that Kai Kara-France might be able to KO Alexandre Pantoja. 

As for the main event battle for the soon-to-be vacant lightweight title, he had already picked his winner. ‘The Great’ said, “I’m leaning towards Ilia Topuria. If Charles comes aggressive like that, Ilia’s gonna land some of them big bombs. I know a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, it’s lightweight division. His power won’t be there.’ Trust me. The power’s still there. I don’t think that he’s gonna play into it too much. So, I’m gonna go with Ilia as a new lightweight champ.”

Even during his conversation with Fox Sports Australia’s Niko Pajarillo, Volkanovski claimed, “They’re both exciting fighters. Stylistically, it’s going to be fireworks. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to finish very early, though. I don’t think it’s lasting very long.” He pointed out that ‘Do Bronx’ was a fighter who tended to force engagements and be aggressive. But ‘El Matador’ can lay some traps, and we’ve already seen him knock Max Holloway out cold.

What do you think of Holland’s habit of fighting multiple times a year? Do you think Pereira will fight Ankalaev in October? Who do you think will win at UFC 317? Drop down to the comments section and keep the conversation flowing.