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While there’s no shortage of up-and-coming contenders in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, former champion and long-time veteran Holly Holm may only be one fight away from yet another title shot.
This is according to Holm’s coach, Mike Winkeljohn, who is under the assumption that another victory inside of the Octagon is all Holm needs to lock down one more shot at gold. That’s because Holm is coming off a meaningful win over Raquel Pennington back at UFC 246 this past January.
“In my heart, I believe Holly is one fight away from a title shot. Man, she made a big mistake against Nunes. Everyone that fights Nunes has fallen in that trap,” Winkeljohn told BJPENN.com. “I’ve been amazed as to what Amanda can do. But, I think she got exposed with GDR [Germaine De Randamie] and one more win and Holly gets that shot.”
Even if Winkeljohn is accurate with his assumption it should still be noted that Holm hasn’t captured back-to-back wins inside of the Octagon since her first year in the promotion in 2015. After a 2-0 start the former professional boxer got her shot at Ronda Rousey and claimed the UFC women’s bantamweight title with a head kick heard around the world.
Since then, Holm has compiled a UFC record of 3-5 with four of those losses coming in title fights. That includes two shots at the UFC women’s featherweight strap and a recent loss to reigning 135-pound champion Amanda Nunes, who defeated Holm via first-round TKO at UFC 239.
Still, Holm remains a major player in the women’s bantamweight division. She may not finish her opponents like Nunes or possess a fruitful future like an Aspen Ladd or Ketlen Vieira, but “Preacher’s Daughter” is a true contender to be reckoned with.
“She would definitely like to get the GDR fight back. She might prefer that one but she just wants to get the title back,” explained Winkeljohn. “Aspen Ladd said Holly stepped out of the fight but it was the UFC that canceled it so she could fight Nunes. Holly is not happy with her attitude so Holly would love to fight Aspen. Either one of those makes sense.”
Holm, 38, was previously scheduled to fight Ladd back at UFC 235 last year but that bout never came to fruition. It’s a matchup that UFC will surely entertain moving forward, although Holm could very well draw the likes of former UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie, who just went five rounds in a title fight loss to Nunes back in December.
In any case, another win for Holm will land her close to contention yet again. Her 1-4 record in UFC title fights certainly isn’t the type of ammo she’ll want to bring to the negotiating table, but Holm remains one of the most popular female fighters on the UFC roster and a fighter capable of shining anytime she steps into the cage.
What do you think Maniacs? Does Holm deserve another shot at UFC gold with one more win?
Let’s hear it!