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(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.

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.

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.

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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