A fight between Holly Holm and Cristiane Justino has been historically difficult for UFC officials to put together. And it doesnt seem that trend is going to change going forward. <\/p>\n
Since Justino (17-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) officially joined the UFC roster this past year, the organization has made multiple attempts to book a fight with Holm (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC). The most recent effort came for Saturdays UFC 208 event, which sees Holm face Germaine de Randamie (6-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) for the inaugural UFC womens featherweight title. <\/p>\n
Before Holm vs.de Randamie was booked for the pay-per-view headlinerat Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., UFC officials intended to pitHolm against Cyborg.The timing didnt work, though, and the Brazilian received notice of a potential U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) violation thathas put her career on ice. <\/p>\n
Depending how Justinos USADA case unfolds, she could be sidelined for more than a year with asuspension. Holm said shes not ready to rule out the potential showdown entirely, but she saidthe ball is currently in Justinos court. <\/p>\n
Im just going to wait and see what happens with that (USADA situation), Holm told MMAjunkie. There has to be a lot that happens for that fight to happen. Shes got to deal with whatever is going on with USADA. Who knows whats really happening with that? Obviously something. <\/p>\n
The UFCs decision to add a womens featherweight division revolved largely around Justino. Cyborg, whos the current Invicta FC 145-pound champ, has dominated the weight class for more than a decade, but UFC officials havebeen reluctant to give her fights at her desired weight, and they required Justino to cut to 140 pounds for her first two UFC appearances. <\/p>\n
After a long wait, UFC officials finally added theweight class, but the timing couldnt have been worse; it happened just as Justinos potential anti-doping violation came to light. If and when she does return, she would seemingly fight the Holm-de Randamie winner, but much can change during that time. <\/p>\n
Holm, aformer UFC womens bantamweight champion, has said she might opt for a return to 135 pounds if she can win at UFC 208 in hopes of winning back that belt and achieving her goal of holding two titles simultaneously. <\/p>\n
Holm said shes aware the fight most fans want to see her in is against Justino, but numerous hurdles remain. She said its a similar situation aswhen she entered the UFC and fight fanswere clamoring to see her fight then-UFC champ Ronda Rousey. She was patient, and the fight eventually materialized under terms she was satisfied with. She said shes going to use the same approach for Cyborg. <\/p>\n
In order to even think about that potential fight, I have to get through this fight, Holm said. When I first signed with the UFC, I had two fights, one fight being Raquel Pennington and then Marion Reneau. In both of those fights, people kept asking me, How long do you think until you fight Ronda? I said, Well I have these fights in front of me first, so I have to get through them. I know Cris Cyborg is definitely the big name for the 145-pound division, but right now with this situation she has going on, I think Ill just let that pan out. <\/p>\n
Who knows whats really going on? I dont want to put all my eggs in one basket. I dont want my career to be defined over one fighter. I still have so much to do. Ive got Germaine de Randamie right in front of me. If I dont get by her, there probably wont even be talk of a Cris Cyborg fight. <\/p>\n
For more on UFC 208, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site. <\/p>\n
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Originally posted here:<\/p>\n
Ex-UFC champ Holly Holm: 'There has to be a lot that happens' before fighting 'Cyborg' - MMAjunkie.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A fight between Holly Holm and Cristiane Justino has been historically difficult for UFC officials to put together. Continue reading