When did Kevin Holland announce his retirement?

On September 22, Kevin Holland announced his retirement via a post on Instagram. 'Trailblazer' stated that he was almost 30 years old and was considering laying down the gloves for good.

The Californian native also asked fans for their suggestions as to what he should do post-retirement:

"Had a good run. 30 in a little over a month. Got paid I'm out. Next career choice?"

Adding to the legitimacy of his retirement claims, in one of his Instagram stories, 'Trailbalzer' stated his intentions to open a car club post-retirement.

Image courtesy @trailblaze2top Instagram

The Dana White's Contender Series alumn's sudden decision might have been a result of his demoralizing first-round submission loss at the hands of the No.3-ranked welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279.

In the short-notice fight, 'Trailblazer' couldn't even get a single attack going before succumbing to 'Borz's superior wrestling. The Chechen-born Swede locked in a perfect D'Arce choke before reaching the halfway mark of round one to win the contest.

Watch Chimaev vs. Holland below:

Alas, it doesn't seem like Holland is done with mixed martial arts just yet. The American has taken a U-turn on his retirement plans and is set to return for another fight this December.

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Kevin Holland ends short-lived retirement to take on Stephen Thompson

It looks like the UFC isn't ready to part ways with Kevin Holland yet. To the delight of many, the American MMA promotion announced yesterday what one can only deem as an interesting matchup.

A fight between Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson and 'Trailblazer' has been announced for December 3.

Stephen Thompson's latest octagon outings have not been too spectacular. 'Wonderboy' is currently on a two-fight skid. He lost via unanimous decision at UFC 264 and UFC Fight Night 199 to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad respectively.

Watch Burns vs. Thompson below:

The former two-time title challenger's MMA record currently stands at 16 wins against 6 losses and 1 draw. Kevin Holland, on the other hand, holds a mixed martial arts record of 23 wins against 8 losses and 1 no-contest. The matchup is expected to be a mostly stand-up affair given their respective proficiencies as strikers.

According to ESPN, a strawweight clash between Yazmin Jaurequi and Istela Nunes is also scheduled to be a part of the UFC Fight Night event.