Good news for Holly Holm fans: the former bantamweight champion has signed a new long-term contract with the UFC for six fights. Prior to this extension, Holm only had two fights remaining on her contract. Holm’s agent Lenny Fresquez spoke briefly with ESPN about the news:
“I’m very happy with the deal,” Fresquez said. “We worked feverishly with the UFC to get this done.”
Holly Holm was booked to fight Aspen Ladd for her next contest at UFC 235, with the bout even being officially announced by the promotion, but the fight abruptly cancelled weeks out from the event. The reason Holm’s management cited for the cancellation was negotiations for a contract extension.
There was a belief that the real primary reason for the cancellation was because Holly Holm would be the next challenger for Amanda Nunes, and Nunes herself publicly expressed an interest for that to be her next fight:
“I want to defend my [bantamweight] belt first, because when I moved up, I left the division stalled,” Nunes told Combate (translation via ESPN). “I think it makes sense that the next fight is against Holly Holm, the only ex-champion I haven’t faced. After, I think it would be cool to rematch Cyborg. And then, I’ll stop.”
With today’s news of Holly Holm extending her contract, that raised the question if the roads were now clear for a Nunes/Holm bout. Fresquez was not forthcoming about or not privy to what is next for his client:
“We’re ready to get to work,” Fresquez said. “I’m sure the UFC will have some great plans to announce for Holly in the near future.”
Whom would you like for Holly Holm to fight in her first fight of this new deal?
