UFC Vegas 23: Darren Till reportedly out of main event, Kevin Holland rumoured as replacement to face Marvin Vettori
The UFC middleweight bout between Marvin Vettori and Darren Till has been canceled, according to ESPN combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani.
The UFC middleweight bout was scheduled to happen on April 10 at UFC Vegas 23 at the promotion's Apex venue in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It appears that the reason for the fight getting called off is that Till has suffered a collarbone injury during training. The UFC is currently examining new options to replace the British mixed martial artist.
According to MMA Junkie's Nolan King, Kevin Holland, who just recently fought against Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22, has already volunteered to step in and face Vettori.
The fight had the potential to define the next UFC middleweight title challenger, as current champion Israel Adesanya had previously signaled his intentions to fight Till at some point.
A win from Vettori could lead to the creation of a bitter rematch. 'The Italian Dream' holds a grudge against 'The Last Stylebender' since they fought back in 2018.
For many combat sports fans and analysts, the clash between Vettori and Adesanya was the most difficult challenge that the current champion has faced in the middleweight division thus far.
Vettori does not seem to be happy with the recent developments of his next fight in the promotion:
"Always do my part 100%, and these bunch of p*ssies can't make it. I'm next in line for the title. Whoever has something to say, show the f*ck up in two weeks so I can whoop your *ss and shut you off for good," Vettori wrote on his Twitter account.
Kevin Holland told the UFC he wants to fight Marvin Vettori
According to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Kevin Holland has already agreed to step in on short notice to battle No. 6 in the middleweight rankings, Marvin Vettori.
Still, according to the Canadian journalist, Holland's team will be waiting for confirmation from the UFC to resume training.
'Trailblazer' tied the UFC record for most wins in a calendar year in 2020, when he fought and defeated five different opponents in under 365 days.
Holland said he planned to break the record again in 2021, fighting six or seven times. However, the American started the year with a setback, having been beaten by Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22.
Would you like to see Kevin Holland face Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 23? Sound off in the comments.