Anthony Hernandez vs. Kevin Holland reinstated for May 16 UFC event

The matchup between Anthony Hernandez vs. Kevin Holland has been reinstated for the same date – but at a different location.

A matchup between Hernandez (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Holland (16-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was on tap for May 16 at Tachi Palace Resort and Casino in Lemoore, Calif., prior to the promotion postponing all events due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With the UFC preparing for a relaunch on May 9, the middleweight fight has been reinstated.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the in-the-works booking but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

The event takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card is expected to air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.

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.

With the addition, here’s the current UFC lineup for May 16:

Walt Harris vs. Alistair Overeem
Eryk Anders vs. Krzysztof Jotko
Anthony Hernandez vs. Kevin Holland