Former undisputed bantamweight champion, Holly Holm has shot down the possibility of fighting incoming debutante, Kayla Harrison, if the Ohio native fails to make the bantamweight limit successfully in her upcoming bow at UFC 300 in April.
Holm, the second undisputed bantamweight champion in the history of the promotion, and the inaugural featherweight title chaser, has been sidelined since she headlined an August event at the UFC Apex facility against recent title challenger, Mayra Bueno Silva, in an eventual official ‘No Contest’.
As for Harrison, the high-profile Octagon acquisition is slated to make her long-anticipated debut in the promotion at UFC 300 – boasting a 16-1 professional record, as well as two separate summer Olympic Games gold medal wins in Judo, and a pair of PFL lightweight tournament victories since her move to the sport.
And despite opening as a significant betting favorite to beat Holm in her landing at UFC 300, Harrison has been the subject of speculation regarding her ability to successful cut to the 136lbs non-title limit for the first time since her mixed martial arts career began.
Holly Holm urges Kayla Harrison to make weight at UFC 300
Promotional CEO, Dana White has claimed recently how the American Top Team staple has successfully made multiple test weight cuts to the bantamweight limit ahead of her move, however, as far as Holm is concerned, there will be no fight against Kayla Harrison in April if the latter fails to tip the scales successfully.
“I’m on the stance that you need to make weight, that’s just how it is,” Holly Holm told MMA Fighting. “I think that her (Kayla Harrison) mindset should be on, ‘I’m going to make weight,’ because she took the fight at 135 [pounds]. So, I think it’s simple. I don’t think it should be super detailed.”
“You think about that fight with ‘Wonderboy’ [and Michel Pereira],” Holly Holm continued. “His opponent came in three pounds over and people were like, ‘Oh, it’s only three rounds.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, if it’s only three pounds, then go lose the three pounds.’ You know what I mean? There’s two ways to look at it. It’s only this or it’s only that. You can look at it from a lot of different antles, but as a professional, find out how to make weight. I work hard to make my weight, so I expect the same.”
Who wins at UFC 300: Holly Holm or Kayla Harrison?