Holly Holm Down to Fight Cyborg if the UFC is ‘Willing to Cough Up’ Says Coach

While a new UFC women’s featherweight champion is crowned and in waiting, Holly Holm has options in front of her for two titles. She could be eyeing a rematch with Valentina Shevchenko to see who will challenge Amanda Nunes yet again for the bantamweight title, since the rumors are Raquel Pennington will get the next shot. If the a title is the goal, Holm may have a quicker path at featherweight. She’s willing to fight Cris Cyborg to make that happen, the UFC just has to make it worth her while according to Coach Winkeljohn on Submission Radio.

“Holly [Holm] will take [the fight with Cyborg] if they make the right offer, if they will do that. I mean, right now we’re looking at, do we fight Amanda Nunes for the title? They really want to give that to Raquel Pennington, I think they’re saying. Holly’s not one to sit on the shelf, she wants the world title. She really wanted to get back at Shevchenko, so I know she was hoping Shevchenko would win the title, but this is where we’re sitting right now and Cris Cyborg is out there and Holly I think wants to knock off another legend. She’ll step up and do it again, so it all comes down to money and what the UFC’s willing to cough up to have Holly fight her.”

https://twitter.com/criscyborg/status/908266072402309120

“Holly’s a big draw, everybody wants to see Holly. They know she had the ability to beat Ronda, she steps up for the big fights, she’s back and she’s the best thing the UFC has in the women’s division. Holly has more power I believe and more marketability then every woman in the UFC put together and I think Cris [Cyborg] sees that. She thinks she can beat her and she thinks she’ll get the PPV numbers and make some money. And I don’t blame her. […] We have not had an official offer, so we’re waiting for an official offer that’s good. There has not been an official offer, so I know – this is quite funny, the champion of the world is calling out Holly Holm. Don’t usually the challengers call out the champions? That’s a curiosity in itself.”

Got to give the people…give the people what they want! #ufc219 #CyborgVHolm #cyborgnation pic.twitter.com/KsR8pnIRF6

— #UFC219 CyborgVHolm (@criscyborg) September 14, 2017

While Winkeljohn makes it clear that an official offer hasn’t been put on the table, Cyborg hinted that there is a deal done with some opponent for UFC 219. The options for women’s 145 opponents are few and far between, unless Megan Anderson is back in the running after her earlier complications. Other than that, Holly Holm is not only the person Cyborg wants to defend her title again, but one of the only options left. Let’s hope the UFC gets that deal done, because that is an incredible fight and arguably the best women’s match-up in world that any promoter could put on.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 9/14/2017