Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC 219 blew the roof off T-Mobile Arena last Saturday night (Dec. 30, 2017) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Edson Barboza, who was beaten up for 15 minutes by a very determined and focused Khabib Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of the evening (see it again here).
And Carlos Condit, who suffered his third straight defeat, this time at the hands of Neil Magny, in what was his first fight back after an extended hiatus (recap).
But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?
Holly Holm.
Earlier this year, “The Preacher’s Daughter” came up short in her bid to become the promotion’s first-ever female fighter to win two separate division crowns, losing to Germaine de Randamie in rather controversial fashion at UFC 208 for the vacant Featherweight title.
Holm earned one more chance to make history, as she challenged division queen Cris Cyborg in the headlining bout of UFC’s final event of the year. And though she proved to be a game opponent, Holly came up short once more in her bid to capture the 145-pound strap.
Both ladies put on a show for fans around the world, going toe-to-toe for a full 25 minutes that ultimately left Holm battered and bruised. Still, credit has to be given to Holm, as she offered Cris her toughest fight to date, taking her into deep waters and clipping her on several occasions.
In fact, during the post-fight presser, Cyborg admitted she was shocked when she realized her nose bled for the first time.
I guess she is human after all.
In the end, though, Cris solidified her status as the world’s best female fighter after getting through Holm’s striking expertise. For Holm, the loss is her fourth in last five outings, three of which were title fights, leaving her at a crossroads in her MMA career.
But, her next move likely won’t be to hard to make, as dropping back down to 135 pounds seems like the only logical step to take. UFC hasn’t done much to bolster up the women’s 145-pound division, as they may have to ask Invicta to borrow Megan Anderson to challenge Cyborg next.
Plus, Holm still holds the No. 2 spot at 135, so she can get right back into the thick of things with one or two impressive wins. That said, I’d like to see her take on Sara McMann next. While it may not make sense, rankings wise, the bout is really the only one to make when breaking down the division, as most of the field is already booked, pregnant, hurt, or has already defeated Holly.
McMann — a former title contender — recently saw her three-fight win streak go out the door after getting choked out by Ketlen Vieira at UFC 215. It will be in interesting style of clashes, as Holm has made her living knocked people around stemming back from her boxing days, while Sara is a former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling.
Unless, of course, you have a better idea?