Kevin Holland Announces Marvin Vettori UFC Fight After Darren Till Injury

Marvin Vettori has found a new challenger for the main event at UFC Vegas 23.

The 27-year-old will now face Kevin Holland after his original opponent, Darren Till, was forced to withdraw on Tuesday following a broken collarbone. 

Holland confirmed he's taking Till's place in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday. The bout is scheduled for five rounds at middleweight. It's an extremely quick turnaround for Holland, who lost via unanimous decision to Derek Brunson in five rounds on March 20.

Holland is now 21-6 (12 KOs) with his latest defeat coming against Brunson after he set the UFC record for most wins in a calendar year by picking up five in 2020. Now the No. 10-ranked challenger among middleweight contenders, Holland can boost his credibility with a victory over the No. 6-ranked Vettori.

The Italian has won his last four bouts since falling to Israel Adesanya via split decision in 2018, a loss that does not look as bad in hindsight. Adesanya has not only claimed the middleweight title but has moved up to No. 4 in UFC's pound-for-pound rankings. 

Vettori (16-4, 2 KOs) has fought sparingly in the last few years, taking just seven bouts since 2016. He last fought Jack Hermansson to a unanimous-decision victory in December 2020 and has been gearing up to face Till.

Now, he's got just over a week to change course and prep for Holland.