After nearly a decade, Geoff Neal will have a shot at revenge against Kevin Holland.
Prior to their UFC careers, “Handz of Stone” and “Trailblazer” faced off at Xtreme Knockout 34 in Dallas, Texas for the vacant XKO Middleweight belt way back in January 2017. Both men were early in their pro careers, and it was Holland who walked away victorious via third-round knockout. Up until Neal faced Carlos Prates in August 2025, that was the only knockout loss on his record.
Since then, both men have fought
in the UFC many times, picked up some excellent wins, and been highly ranked at various points. Kevin Holland announced the rematch himself on X, revealing that the two Texans would be throwing down at UFC Houston, scheduled for Feb. 21, 2026 in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Holland had a tumultuous 2025, competing five times. A quick submission loss to Reinier de Ridder sent him back down to Welterweight, where he defeated both Gunnar Nelson and Vicente Luque before losing to Daniel Rodriguez and Mike Malott. Conversely, Neal competed just once this year, losing the aforementioned Prates bout (highlights here). Currently ranked at No. 14, Neal’s most recent win was an injury victory over former champion Rafael dos Anjos.
So, after all these years, does Neal earn his revenge or will Holland end the rivalry early?
