Amanda Nunes made history by becoming the first female mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter to hold two belts simultaneously for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), defeating Cris Cyborg via first round knockout (see it) to be able to put the Featherweight strap alongside her Bantamweight belt.
While many expected Cris to get an immediate rematch after dominating the division for so long, it doesn’t seem to be in the cards. At least not for a couple of years. But there are those who do feel Cris deserves an instant do-over, as former 145-pound title contender, Holly Holm, says if anyone is deserving of an instant rematch it’s Cyborg.
“She deserves a rematch for being somebody in a dominant position like that for so long getting knocked out? Yes, they absolutely deserve a rematch,” Holm told MMA Junkie. “That’s the way it goes. I believe she deserve the chance 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.”
Holm knows all-too well just how dominant Cris can be, coming up short against the fearsome striker at UFC 219 two years ago. After getting back on the winning track against Megan Anderson, Holly will look to score back-to-back wins when she faces Aspen Ladd at UFC 235 on March 2, 2019.
With a win and if the opportunity presents itself to fight for the title against Amanda Nunes, the former boxing champion won’t turn it down.
“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. I’m never promised another day and another fight, so I need to make the most of what’s in front of me,” she said.
“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.”
A fight with Holm would provide an interesting challenge for the current “champ-champ,” as Holly would definitely be the most-technical striker she’s faced to date. On the flip side, if “Lioness” can score a win over Holly, her resume would be unmatched as she would become the only fighter to defeat Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Holm and the aforementioned Cyborg.