Undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight Holly Holm (7-0) has no problem with women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano getting an immediate title bout against Ronda Rousey despite being five years away from the cage.
The former three-division boxing champion spoke her mind on Friday’s edition of ESPN.com’s The Weigh-in column:
Carano has been on the big show before, so she can handle the pressure. There are a lot of girls who have been working hard for a shot who might deserve it a little more than someone who has been out that long, but Carano has put a lot of time in before. She’s earned her spot in certain ways. Who am I to say Carano is undeserving of an opportunity? I’ll let the promoter make those decisions.
Holm, the most recent women’s bantamweight champion in the Texas-based Legacy Fighting Championships, was signed by the UFC earlier this month after months of negotiations.
The Greg Jackson’s MMA product is 7-0 as a professional mixed martial artist and is considered one of the few real threats left for UFC champ Ronda Rousey due to her striking pedigree.
However, fight fans will have to wait awhile for that matchup since UFC President Dana White has already stated that Holm will not receive an immediate title shot, per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, Carano will, if the UFC can hammer out a deal sometime soon, per MMA Junkie.
Carano hasn’t fought since August 2009, when she suffered a lopsided TKO loss at the hands of Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.
That marked the only loss of her career, where she has competed as heavy as 150 pounds.
Recently starring in action movies such as Haywire, Fast & Furious 6 and In the Blood, Carano has teased the idea of returning to the cage in recent months and appears to be following through on that notion now.
In the event that the UFC signs Carano, is a championship showdown with Rousey the only fight that makes sense for her?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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