After Julianna Pena mentioned that Holly Holm was out of their scheduled bout on May 8, the former bantamweight champion cleared the air on what went wrong.
Following a dramatic head kick loss to double champion Amanda Nunes, Holly Holm was determined to right the ship. Unlike other female bantamweight champions before her, she decided to continue on with her mixed martial arts career. Then, at the beginning of 2020, “The Preacher’s Daughter” did just that, and attained some redemption after shutting down former title challenger Raquel Pennington in a unanimous decision victory.
However, months later, and scheduled to fight Pena in an informal number one contender’s bout, the former bantamweight champion was forced to step away after being diagnosed with a condition called hydronephrosis.
In particular, the condition affecting Holly Holm causes swelling to the kidneys, and thus requires surgery. It goes without saying that the former bantamweight champion will need time off to heal. After news circulated of her injury, the former champion shared her thoughts and informed her fans of the situation on Instagram.
“Hydronephrosis-what?! Holly Holm exclaimed. “Much love to everyone reaching out with care and concern. Turns out I have hydronephrosis. In my case, it’s something they say I was born with but just hadn’t had any problems until now. I’m doing great and will be fine. A little bump in the road but thankfully it’s fixable. I hope to only have to postpone a few weeks from the original date of May 8 to fight. Excited to get back in there and put it all on the line for you guys!!!”
Apparently, after the surgery is completed, Holly Holm intends to get right back to training. In addition, the Jackson Wink MMA product relays that while her fight may be postponed for now, she is eager to compete inside the octagon as soon as possible.
MMANews wishes Holly Holm a speedy recovery! Should the fight with Julianna Pena stay intact, or is there a better fight for both athletes? Let us know below what you think!
