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Undefeated Newcomer Luis Hernandez Wants to Pull a Kevin Holland

The 9-0 prospect says he'll fight at both 170 and 185 to make his name — but his last win came in a heavier division entirely.

By FightSplit Editorial Team · Published Sep 29, 2026

Kevin Holland during a UFC bout inside the Octagon
FightSplit

Luis Hernandez hasn't lost a professional fight yet — 9-0 with six submissions and three knockouts — and he's already mapping out a two-division tour of the UFC. The newcomer says he'll take any weight class the promotion offers him, and specifically wants to campaign at both 170 and 185 pounds to build his name faster.

His model? Kevin Holland, the perpetually busy 29-15 veteran who has bounced between welterweight and middleweight for years without ever slowing down. Hernandez said he wants to 'pull a Kevin Holland' and do both, with an eye on climbing the rankings once he's established himself.

The Wrinkle in the Plan

There's one detail worth flagging: Hernandez's most recent win, a first-round submission of Sedriques Dumas, came at light heavyweight, not at either of the two divisions he's now targeting. Going from 205 down to 170 isn't a small trim — it's a serious body of work, and it changes what kind of fighter shows up on fight night.

The Holland comparison is a strong one to pick, though. Holland has made an entire career out of volume and unpredictability, and he's still active near the top of the roster — he faces Uroš Medić at UFC 334, coming off a unanimous-decision win over Randy Brown. Ten of his 29 wins are submissions, so there's some stylistic overlap with a grappling-heavy prospect like Hernandez.

What It Actually Takes

Talking about a two-weight run and executing one are different animals. Holland can float between divisions because he's got the frame, the cardio and a decade of Octagon reps to fall back on. Hernandez has none of that UFC mileage yet — just a clean nine-fight record and a lot of confidence.

The smart read is to let the résumé catch up to the ambition. Six submissions in nine wins tells you Hernandez can finish fights, and finishing is what gets a newcomer noticed. If he can do that in one division first, the second one will still be there waiting.

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