UFC Zeroing In On Debut Date For Holly Holm

A huge addition came to the UFC women’s bantamweight division last July when the promotion signed Holly Holm, an unbeaten mixed martial artist and former world champion boxer. The Team Jackson product has long been considered the best pound-for-pound female boxer in the world, and she brings a significant amount of star power and talent to the 135 lb. division.

Since the signing, fans have been eagerly waiting the announcement of when Holm would get in the cage and test herself against the best in the world. This date may be sooner than some of us expected. UFC analyst Ariel Helwani announced on tonight’s (October 1, 2014) edition of UFC tonight that the company is zeroing in on an opponent for the former boxer. Helwani claims that the rumored opponent is Milana Dudieva:

The UFC is zeroing in on a debut date for Holly Holm. They’re aiming for a UFC 181 debut against @DudievaMilana

— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) October 2, 2014

If Holm can get past Dudieva, there may be some bigtime fights on the horizon. The challenges left for reigning champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey are becoming limited as the Olympian is knocking off contenders left and right with relative ease. However, if “The Preacher’s Daughter” can find some early success inside of the octagon, it wouldn’t be surprising if she met Rousey after a fight or two depending on her performances.

While Rousey is always the favorite and has been absolutely dominant, Holm possesses an interesting challenge to the bantamweight queen. Holm will undoubtedly be the best striker Rousey has faced, and despite the “Rowdy” one’s improving striking game, Holm will have the advantage on the feet.

But there’s no question Rousey has an obviously huge advantage on the ground. Rousey’s Olympic judo and grappling skills will surely be a problem for the former boxer.

These contrasting styles make for an interesting matchup. However, we can’t get ahead of ourselves as Holm is just beginning her UFC career. Will the Team Jackson product eventually get a crack at UFC gold? Only time will tell.