With three short-notice UFC cards being booked in lightning-quick fashion, it’s been hard to keep up with all of the fight announcements.
Over the next eight days, the UFC will be holding three events: UFC 249 (Saturday), UFC on ESPN+ 29 (Wednesday) and UFC on ESPN 8 (May 16). All three events will be held at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Sure, everyone knows Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje will fight, right after Henry Cejudo battles Dominick Cruz. Yes, Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira will slug it out four days later, followed by a Saturday night heavyweight rumble between Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem.
But what about the rest of the fights? With close to 40 fights happening in eight days, chances are some are being overlooked.
Check out five UFC fights that are flying under-the-radar for the upcoming Jacksonville events.
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5. Anthony Hernandez vs. Kevin Holland
Two of the UFC middleweight division’s brightest up-and-comers, [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] will face off May 16 at UFC on ESPN 8.
When the May 16 event was slated to take place in San Diego, Hernandez (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was expected to face Puna Soriano. However, Soriano was removed from the card and Holland (16-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) stepped in.
Both fighters are extremely fun to watch. Hernandez is well-rounded, though submissions are his bread and butter. Nicknamed “Big Mouth,” by UFC president Dana White, Holland doesn’t shy away from yapping at his opponents from bell to bell. Luckily for him, his talents back up his chatter.
Hernandez, 26, is coming off his first UFC victory. After he lost his promotional debut against Markus Perez in February, Hernandez rebounded in August when he defeated Jun Yong Park by submission.
As for Holland, the 27-year-old Texas-based fighter lost his most recent fight to Brendan Allen in October. Prior to the second-round submission defeat, Holland had defeated John Phillips, Gerald Meerschaert, and Alessio Di Chirico back-to-back-to-back.
Hernandez vs. Holland is currently penciled in as the featured preliminary card fight.