Holly Holm has got a big fight this coming Saturday night (Feb. 11).
“The Preacher’s Daughter” will meet Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural women’s featherweight championship. It’ll be Holm’s chance to redeem herself after losing her women’s bantamweight title to Miesha Tate and dropping a decision to Valentina Shevchenko.
One opponent fans hope to see Holm do battle with is Cris Cyborg. Holm told MMAJunkie.com that many things need to happen for the match-up to materialize:
“In order to even think about that potential fight, I have to get through this fight. When I first signed with the UFC, I had two fights, one fight being Raquel Pennington and then Marion Reneau. In both of those fights, people kept asking me, ‘How long do you think until you fight Ronda?’ I said, ‘Well I have these fights in front of me first, so I have to get through them.’ I know Cris ‘Cyborg’ is definitely the big name for the 145-pound division, but right now with this situation she has going on, I think I’ll just let that pan out.
The situation Holm is talking about has to do with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Back in Dec. 2016, Cyborg was notified of a potential anti-doping policy violation. She tested posted for a diuretic and is facing a one-year suspension.
For now, Holm will have to worry about de Randamie. “The Iron Lady” has won two straight bouts about being finished by current 135-pound champion Amanda Nunes. Back at UFC 185, de Randamie TKO’d Larissa Pacheco in the second round. She then crumpled Anna Elmose with a knee to the body back in May 2016.
Holm hasn’t won a bout since her devastating head kick knockout over Ronda Rousey back in Nov. 2015. While Holm has had a number of people call her a “one-hit wonder,” she can erase all that with another title victory.
