Kevin Holland is all set to take on Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302 next. The middleweight fighter is one of the most exciting fighters in the division. However, he has yet to live up to his full potential. He recently made an appearance at UFC  302 media day and spoke about his upcoming fight.

While speaking to the reporters, Holland gave away news that might surprise many. According to him, he was supposed to take on Nick Diaz in his next bout. However, the fight never materialized because of this particular reason.

Kevin Holland shares why he did not face Nick Diaz as his next opponent

Nick Diaz is all set to make a return to the Octagon on August 3 in the co-main event against Vicente Luque. The event will be taking place in Abu Dhabi with Umar Nurmagomedov featuring in the main event. However, Diaz was supposed to take on Kevin Holland, as revealed by him. He said, “I would also be taking up a fight at 170 against a pre named opponent. But they said he wouldn’t be able to fight till August. So I was like damn that’s a long time. Just a extra month and I was like na too long. “

He added, “We will see what happens. I mean I knew he was coming back to fight. I just thought you know what I mean. I was gonna smoke him. And then I was gonna smoke Luque too. They are fighting each other so they can smoke each other. Two big ass joints.” Holland was last seen inside the Octagon at UFC 299 in the welterweight division. ‘Trailblazer’ lost the fight via decision and failed to leave an impact. However, he will now return to his favorite division and will look to get back to winning ways.

Meanwhile, the UFC world is currently abuzz with the news of Nick Diaz’s comeback, who was last seen inside the Octagon in 2021 at UFC 266 when he took on Robbie Lawler. The fight took place in the middleweight division and Diaz lost the fight in the third round. Since then, the 40-year-old has been trying to get back to the Octagon. This time Diaz is desperate to get back to winning ways and started training way back as revealed by his close friend Jake Shields.

Jake Shields revealed the training plans of Nick Diaz before his return

Most of the fans are super excited about the return of Nick Diaz. Despite facing a loss in his previous fight, fans will hope to see ‘Diablo’ put up a winning performance. And it seems that he has been on the right track for the last year. One of his close friends, Jake Shields, in his interview last year shared the exact details of Diaz’s training plans, saying, “He’s been out here training again, which was good, because he wasn’t really training for the last camp. So he’s back out here. ” 

Shields added, “Not training crazy hard, but the fact that he’s back in the gym, training every day, much better head space, is great. Seeing Nick, he’s like a brother to me…it’s great to see him doing a lot better and I know all of the fans want to see him fight again. It would be great to see a comeback, but with a proper training camp.”

Nick Diaz is one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC. Known for his never-give-up attitude and sublime striking skills, the 40-year-old is a worthy opponent. However, it will be interesting to see if he is the same after a gap of three years.

Do you think Nick Diaz can win the fight on his return? Drop your predictions in the comments below.