As reported by FanSided, it seems as if UFC president Dana White is confident that Holly Holm vs Cris Cyborg for the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship will take place within the next few months.
White, who was speaking during the UFC 216 post-fight press conference, has had a rocky relationship with the always unpredictable Cyborg over the last few years. Whilst the former Strikeforce stand out has certainly seemed difficult to work with since entering the UFC, the company themselves haven’t helped with their poor promotion of her during that time.
With that being said, she is arguably one of the most impressive champions in all of MMA right now and her victory over Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 only solidified that. Having not been beaten in well over 12 years, Cyborg could continue to be a ‘juggernaut’ of sorts for the promotion so long as they are able to keep her happy.
Which, of course, doesn’t appear to be happening right now despite Dana’s positive outlook. With the fight against Holm initially being pinpointed for UFC 219 on December 30th, Cris has claimed that she was offered less money to fight Holly than she was for the Evinger showdown.
That’s an understandable view point for sure, but as she continues to charge between $150-$250 for a 15 minute interview alone it seems unlikely that many fans will sympathise with her when it comes to paycheck issues.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the always popular Holly Holm is currently experiencing something of a renaissance following her empathic victory over Bethe Correia back in June.
The triumph followed three consecutive defeats for Holm against Tate, Shevchenko and de Randamie, which was a slide that led many to believe Holly’s days in mixed martial arts were numbered.
But you have to give her credit, as she was able to bounce back in the face of adversity to the point where she is just a few months away from a potential dream match-up against Cyborg.
There are few that will bet against Cris for the bout if it is indeed given the green light, but the spotlight that it’ll be given alone will be enough to warrant buying a ticket to see it.
We’ve seen upsets occur in this sport before, and Holm in particular knows what it feels like to throw the cat amongst the pigeons – and if you don’t believe us, then just ask Ronda Rousey.
