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Holly Holm has confronted almost each outstanding identify in her weight class and there’s one legend she’d be open to combating once more.
Former two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes was not too long ago in attendance at UFC 297 in Toronto and although “The Lioness” has given no indication that she plans to return out of retirement, seeing her that near the octagon once more sparked just a few conversations about whether or not she may need one other combat or two in her.
On The MMA Hour, Holm was requested for her ideas on a doable Nunes comeback and whether or not she’d like a rematch of their UFC 239 bantamweight title combat.
“[Nunes] may [come back],” Holm stated. “That was even one of many issues I believed once they have been like, ‘We’ve acquired a combat for you, belief me, we’ve simply acquired to see.’ I’m wondering if it might be like she’d need to at the least have one combat earlier than [a title shot] if she got here again and at one level my coach and I have been like, ‘No, in all probability not.’
“I didn’t suppose something after which it was like, ‘Did you see one thing about Nunes perhaps coming again?’ I thought of it too, however I don’t know. I do suppose that she’s having fun with day without work. She was fairly energetic in being a double champion and all that. I’ve all of the respect for her on this sport. One other fighter that’s fought the highest ladies. You actually can’t take something away from Amanda.”
Nunes efficiently defended her title in opposition to Holm by way of first-round TKO of their July 2019 assembly, the final time that Holm challenged for a UFC belt. The previous champion has stayed busy since, successful three of her previous 5 fights with the one blemishes being a cut up choice loss to Ketlen Vieira and a submission loss to Mayra Bueno Silva that was later overturned to a no-contest when Silva examined optimistic for a banned substance she takes to handle her ADHD.
Win or lose, Holm has seemingly all the time discovered herself standing throughout a embellished opponent, whether or not it’s Nunes, Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, Miesha Tate, Germaine de Randamie, and even Raquel Pennington, the not too long ago topped bantamweight champion that Holm holds two wins over.
Holm attributes her willingness to face the hardest competitors to the experiences she had as a world champion boxer.
“Once I first began combating, as I used to be stepping into a few of my first title fights, I’d see a few of these ladies, I’d see this enormous report and be actually nervous after which I’d begin to take a look at who they fought,” Holm stated. “They’d be like, 2-0, 1-0, 2-0, 1-0, for 12 fights straight, 20 fights straight. Then I used to be like, I don’t wish to be like that. These sorts of victories can’t even really feel that good and I all the time needed to be sure that I fought the most effective and I didn’t wish to be a ‘paper champion,’ I didn’t wish to be like that.
“Sure, there’s extra danger with it if you’re combating the most effective, and I do take delight in the truth that I’ve fought the most effective whereas they have been presently the most effective. Not after the very fact, I wish to combat the most effective once they’re the most effective as a result of these are the fights to take. These are essentially the most nerve-wracking fights, these are essentially the most intense, you may have a lot to lose. So much comes with that, however on the finish of the day I look again even at my boxing profession and I do know that I fought all the highest ladies once they have been presently of their prime and I’m very completely happy about that in that profession, so why would I wish to do something right here? I all the time wish to take the most important challenges and I’ve fallen quick in a few of my fights, however I nonetheless need to have the ability to imagine in myself and take these huge fights like that.”
Holm isn’t taking a step again for her subsequent combat, which takes place at UFC 300 on April 13.
Awaiting Holm on the landmark occasion is two-time PFL champion and two-time Olympic gold medal-winning judoka Kayla Harrison, who makes her octagon debut on the occasion. Harrison has opened as a sizable favorite over Holm and the percentages have solely made Holm extra excited in regards to the matchup.
“I feel what it’s is being such an underdog will get you—I don’t know, there’s only a totally different feeling with it,” Holm stated. “That’s simply sort of how I really feel about this combat. It’s sort of intrigued me, it’s a special combat, perhaps as a result of it’s additionally not anyone that has been within the UFC. As a result of your thoughts is on all these individuals, so when this got here in it was simply sort of a brand new journey, a brand new web page, a brand new fighter to essentially suppose this might be a type of epic fights in historical past.”
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