LOS ANGELES — Holly Holm has more than established herself as a credible featherweight fighter with close losses to Cris Cyborg and Germaine de Randamie. If Holm is able to beat Megan Anderson in a featherweight bout at UFC 225 on June 9 in Chicago, there will surely be calls for a Cyborg rematch.
That’s all well and good for Holm, who says she would like another crack at Cyborg down the road. If it were up to her, though, Holm said Friday at a media lunch that she’ll be heading back down to bantamweight before long.
“I definitely feel like 135 is a little more my home,” Holm said.
It’s easy to understand why Holm has that thought. She won the UFC women’s bantamweight title by knocking out Ronda Rousey in 2015 and has gone 11-2 in that weight class in her MMA career. Most recently, Holm knocked out Bethe Correia at 135 pounds in June 2017.
In the UFC’s official contender rankings, Holm is No. 1 below champion Amanda Nunes. And a title bout with Nunes — if she can get by Anderson — is very much on her mind.
“This was the opportunity that presented itself and what seemed good for right now,” Holm said of the Anderson matchup. “I’m just gonna take this fight and after that I would like to be able to go back to 135 and maybe fight for the belt. I know I’m the No. 1 contender there. Why not try and go back to that? How awesome would that be to be able to get my belt back? That’s what I want.”
Holm (11-4) lost to Cyborg by unanimous decision in a featherweight title fight at UFC 219 back in December. It was the first time Cyborg didn’t finish an opponent in nearly a decade and Holm had her moments in that bout. A rematch with Cyborg is something she’d be interested in, the JacksonWink MMA product said.
“It was a really close fight,” Holm said. “I didn’t just go to survive it. I went to beat her. That was my plan — not just say I did it. I’ve said this before. I’m not going in there to get a participation ribbon, just say I did it. I did it because I want the gold and that’s what I’m going for.
“I’d like to have another chance at it if the chance presents itself. It’s hard right now. I definitely have this fight in front of me, but like I said, I’d like to go back to fight for the belt at 135 as well. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”
There has been talk that Nunes could move up to 145 and challenge Cyborg in a superfight next. If that happens, Holm, 36, said she’ll “definitely be watching.” The only thing she can control this moment is the fight with Anderson. A win would certainly put her in the driver’s seat in both divisions.
“I want to win this fight,” Holm said. “With a win or a loss, it definitely makes a difference on what my future will hold and what my opportunities will be. We’ll see what happens.”
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