A possible title eliminator in the bantamweight division is set to take place on May 8 between Julianna Pena and former champion Holly Holm.
Julianna Pena is set to take on another specialist according to a Friday ESPN report that revealed that Pena will be facing Holly Holm on a May 8 Fight Night. This makes for only the third bout booked for the event thus far.
Julianna Pena immediately began lobbying for a title shot after defeating Sara McMann at UFC 257. Pena made very thorough arguments for why she deserved to be next in line for champion Amanda Nunes, but without a winning streak, this made for a hard sell that the UFC apparently did not buy.
If Pena were to go out and defeat former champion and #2-ranked bantamweight Holly Holm, on the other hand, that should do the trick and be enough to earn Pena the shot in what is a very narrow bantamweight division in terms of title contenders. But as most women who have stood across from Holly Holm can attest: this is easier said than done.
Holly Holm will be looking for her third consecutive victory when she faces Pena, and although she has a title loss on her record to Nunes, she too stands a chance to put her name back at the top of the contender list with a victory. Holm has gone 0-4 in her last four UFC title bouts, so she may need to pull together two more wins to get back in the front of the line.
Holly Holm has shown nothing but patience throughout her career, though, and the UFC has shown a willingness to grant her opportunities, so there’s no telling when she could be contending for a world title again. Holm’s wins in her two most recent bouts came over Raquel Pennington followed by a win over Irene Aldana.
There currently is no main event announced for this card. The three bouts scheduled for the event thus far are:
Holly Holm vs. Julianna Pena
Donald Cerrone vs. Diego Sanchez
Ryan Benoit vs. Zarrukh Adashev
Who do you think wins this potential bantamweight title eliminator between Holly Holm and Julianna Pena?
