MMA Knockout

UFC 316 main card opens with slick submission from fan favorite

"Trailblazer" kicked off the UFC 316 PPV with one of his signature moves.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

The main card action for UFC 316 kicked off with a welterweight contest between Kevin Holland and Vicente Luque.

Following back-to-back losses at middleweight, Holland dropped back down to 170 lbs. for his last outing against Gunnar Nelson and secured a unanimous decision that also earned him a "Performance of the Night" bonus.

Luque also returned to the win column at UFC 310 when the longtime welterweight veteran submitted Themba Gorimbo in just 52 seconds, which halted Gorimbo's four-fight win streak and gave "The Silent Assassin" his first stoppage-win since 2021.

READ MORE: Live UFC 316 results & highlights: Does O'Malley dethrone Merab?

Holland Becomes First UFC Fighter To Submit Luque

Scheduled to open the PPV portion of UFC 316, Holland and Luque followed an eight-fight prelim card that closed out with a dominant showing from Joshua Van against fellow top-ranked flyweight Bruno Silva.

Luque looked like he might secure an early takedown after catching one of Holland's kicks before "Trailblazer" dissuaded the Brazilian with a flurry of punches, and shortly after Holland landed a huge elbow that clearly rattled his opponent.

"The Silent Assassin" was happy to continue trading strikes and did land a couple significant shots of his own, and while Holland unsurprisingly continued jawing throughout the first round Luque refused to engage with him verbally.

READ MORE: UFC first-timer scores insane 28-second faceplant KO

The two men got right back to kickboxing to start the second frame, and after Luque lost his footing and dove on one of Holland's legs it gave "Trailblazer" the chance to lock up a D'arce choke that forced a tap from the Brazilian.

The result marked the first time that Luque has been submitted in the UFC, and Holland has now won back-to-back fights for the first time since 2023.

More MMA Knockout News

• UFC Atlanta hit with unexpected fight change less than two weeks before event

• Alex Pereira sends chilling response to Magomed Ankalaev over UFC retirement claim

• Dustin Poirier teases epic custom mouthpiece for UFC 318 retirement fight

• UFC raises eyebrows with 'horrible' Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili poster

Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.

Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Published
Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

Home/News