UFC middleweight Darren Till has withdrawn from his scheduled UFC Fight Night main event against Jack Hermansson on Dec. 5 due to injury and had been replaced by surging contender Kevin Holland.
An undisclosed injury officially knocked Till, of Liverpool, out of the 185-pound contest this week. All parties involved have already agreed to the switch to Holland, sources told ESPN. The event will take place at the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas and air on ESPN+.
It’s a risky change for Hermansson (21-5) as far as rankings are concerned. The Swedish middleweight is ranked No. 4 in the UFC’s official rankings, and a win over the No. 6-ranked Till would have bolstered his case for a UFC title shot. Holland, despite winning his last four bouts, is currently unranked.
Representatives for Hermansson told ESPN the UFC tried to find Hermansson a replacement opponent with a ranking, but multiple fighters in the top 10 declined. Despite the circumstances, Hermansson was determined to fight one more time before the end of the year.
Holland (20-5) has been one of the most active fighters in 2020, and is the only fighter on the UFC roster with four wins this year. The 28-year-old is coming off a first-round finish of Charlie Ontiveros last weekend, and expressed his interest in a quick return immediately after.
Should Holland defeat Hermansson on Dec. 5, he would become the first middleweight in UFC history to record five wins in a single calendar year.