UFC 300’s Holly Holm has no interest in fighting for anything other than a title: ‘I just don’t want to do it’
If it’s not for a world title, Holly Holm has no interest in fighting.
The former women’s bantamweight champion will return to the Octagon on April 13 to welcome the promotion’s latest blockbuster signing, Kayla Harrison. Given Harrison’s history as a two-time PFL champion and being one of the most popular female mixed martial artists on the planet, she will likely earn herself a shot at UFC gold should she come out on top against ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ in her highly anticipated debut.
Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Holm expects that to work both ways, noting that if a win over Harrison doesn’t get her closer to a bantamweight title opportunity, what’s the point?
“I’ve fought for the belt more than once,” Holm said. “They want to see other people fight for the belt, but you’ve also gotta put people in line that deserve to be there and there’s a reason why I have been up there. I’ve stayed ranked in the top five for a really long time so my goal was always to get to the belt. If I’m not fighting for the belt, I don’t want to be fighting at all.
“If I don’t have some kind of path to the belt, I really don’t want to do it. I’m not just fighting for a payday. I’m not just fighting for fun. I have a goal in mind and that’s always it.”
After earning back-to-back wins against Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau, Holly Holm shocked the world at UFC 193 with a shocking second-round knockout of Ronda Rousey to claim the 135-pound crown. She lost the title four months later, succumbing to a rear-naked choke in her defense against Miesha Tate.
Holm has had three championship fight opportunities since then, two at featherweight and one at bantamweight. She came up short in each.
As for Kayla Harrison, the two-time Olympic gold medalist has established herself as one of WMMA’s most dominant fighters. Since making her professional debut in 2018, she has amassed a 16-1 record and won back-to-back lightweight titles under the PFL banner. She earned a decision victory over former UFC standout Aspen Ladd in November. Two months later, Dana White announced that Harrison had signed with the promotion and would make her first appearance at UFC 300.
