Can Holly Holm Earn Title Shot With Win At UFC FN Chicago?
With a trio of title fights and the emergence of several new champions, the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division has been one of MMA’s most entertaining weight classes since the fall of former undisputed bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey last November.
But for Holly Holm — the woman who personally knocked the division into months of entertaining chaos with a two-round destruction of the once-immortal Rousey, 2016 has been all about disappointment after suffering a submission-loss to Miesha Tate in March that cost the former boxer her belt.
Fortunately for Holm, the dust still hasn’t settled within the division, and Saturday’s slug-fest against Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of UFC Fight Night Chicago offers her the chance to take a significant step towards winning it back.
Video: Watch the fight that earned Holly Holm her historic clash with Ronda Rousey https://t.co/onhVzRoUxT
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 16, 2016
After defeating Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau in her first two Octagon appearances, Holm was given a shot at Rousey’s title in just her third UFC fight due mainly to the fact that the former Olympian had beaten every other contender of consequence. Had there been other legitimate challengers to Rousey’s reign, the promotion probably would’ve given Holm a little more time before allowing her to fight for the title.
But the experience Holm gained in the world of pro boxing made all of the pre-fight hype she faced ahead of her matchup with Rousey seem routine. The stage was bigger and the lights were brighter in the UFC, but the manufactured hatred and added theatrics Holm saw from Rousey in the days leading up to their headliner was nothing new.
That experience gave Holm an edge that none of Rousey’s previous opponents had possessed. More importantly, that experience gave Holm the confidence to stare right through Rousey’s intimidation tactics, and in less than two full rounds, ”The Preacher’s Daughter” used it to conquer the queen of MMA with a series of bone-rattling strikes.
Immediately following Holm’s stunning win, coach Greg Jackson, who trains Holm with Mike Winklejohn at Albuquerque’s Jackson-Winklejohn MMA, told reporters gathered at the UFC 193 post-fight press conference that they never doubted her ability to beat Rousey.
”It was pretty much what we thought would happen,” said Jackson, via ESPN. ”Obviously, she’s [Rousey] an amazing athlete and we have nothing but respect for her, but she’s been very successful doing the same things for a long time, and we were able to capitalize on that.”
I want to thank @hollyholm for the kind words. Congrats on your success. Please follow @hollyholm and read this https://t.co/9v2ctLWXQE
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) November 23, 2015
As only the second women’s bantamweight champion in UFC history, Holm had a long list of potential threats to her throne. But Tate was most deserving, and although Holm didn’t keep her crown for very long, her four-plus round war with Tate in March was one of the most thrilling title fights that we’ve ever seen.
Despite finishing Rousey in convincing fashion, Holm was open to giving her the immediate rematch that UFC president Dana White, and everyone else, was expecting her to get until it became clear that Rowdy Ronda was going to take some time off. But for some reason, Holm wasn’t offered the same opportunity to get her belt back in an immediate rematch against Tate.
When the promotion announced the women’s 135-pound title fight between Tate and Amanda Nunes for UFC 200, Winklejohn told ESPN.com that Holm had been denied her rematch because she defeated Rousey — one of the UFC’s biggest moneymakers.
”I think it’s really unfortunate. I know Holly pulls numbers,” said Winklejohn. ”She’s well liked and she brings in a whole new demographic for the UFC. People can read into it however, but she knocked out their cash cow. She beat the girl who was making them all their money.”
Instead, the UFC offered Holm a catchweight bout at 140-pounds against Brazilian legend Cris ”Cyborg” Justino at May’s UFC 198 in Brazil — an opportunity that Holm and her camp refused. Holm was only interested in working towards another title shot, and without an offer to fight either Tate or Rousey, Saturday’s meeting with Shevchenko is the best place to start.
In Shevchenko, Holm will be dealing with a fellow striker who’s made her way into the rankings by earning a decision over Sarah Kaufmann in last December’s debut and going the distance with Nunes in a loss at UFC 196. We haven’t seen much of Shevchenko, but a combined professional record in Muay Thai and K-1 of 56-2 should give you an idea of how well she’s done in the past, and how potentially dangerous she could be in the future.
With a win over Shevchenko, Holm would have every right to demand the title shot that she already deserves. But even if Rousey’s return ruins those plans and Rowdy Ronda is given the first crack at Nunes’ crown, Holm’s next opportunity may be right around the corner.
[Photo By-Quinn Rooney/Getty Images]
