Holly Holm wants Amanda Nunes fight after UFC 235
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm wants a fight against Amanda Nunes after her upcoming assignment at UFC 235.
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm is currently slated to face Aspen Ladd at UFC 235, where she will drop back down to 135-pounds. But this isn’t stopping her from looking at other plans, which involves a possible fight against two-division women’s champion Amanda Nunes.
“I’ve been focusing on this particular fight because I don’t want to overlook who I’m facing now and then run into a loss because I was looking too far into the future,” Holm told MMAjunkie. “I’m never promised another day and another fight, so I need to make the most of what’s in front of me. I’m going to have this fight with Aspen Ladd and we’ll see what happens going forward.
“There’s always short goals and long goals. Yes, I would love to be able to fight with Nunes. It’s one of the things that could happen. I’m just 100 percent into Aspen Ladd right now.”
Holm did not specify which weight class she intends to challenge Nunes, but it is looking like it would be done at 145-pounds after stating that Cris Cyborg is still more deserving of a rematch.
“She deserves a rematch for being somebody in a dominant position like that for so long getting knocked out? Yes, she absolutely deserves a rematch,” Holm said. “That’s the way it goes. I believe she deserve the chances to go fight again.
“I don’t think she needs people to talk her into it. Rematches after getting knocked out, it needs to come from the fighter themselves. If Cyborg comes forward saying, ‘I want the rematch I can absolutely do.’ Yes, I think Amanda should honor that.”
While Holm is already peeking into her future, she is not overlooking the task at hand.
“She is young and she is undefeated and there’s a reason why she is undefeated and it’s because she’s tough, and she believes in herself,” Holm said of Ladd. “She’s gone in, had some fights in the UFC as a young fighter and handled that pressure very well. She embraces it and it doesn’t break her. She’s up and coming.
“It’s not like Ladd has fought nobodies. But she still hasn’t fought me. It’s going to be a different fight than what she’s faced before, but I am very aware of her strengths and I am very aware that she’s a game opponent and I do not overlook her at all.”
UFC 235 takes place on March 2nd in Las Vegas. A light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Anthony Smith is expected to headline the card.