New UFC signee Holly Holm has been highly touted as a contender who could possibly take Ronda Rousey's women's bantamweight championship. But the former world boxing champion said she is hoping to get her feet wet before facing "Rowdy."
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Holm is still without an opponent or a date for her debut. Rousey's next title defense hasn't been scheduled yet, either, so here are three potential options for Holm to take on her path towards a UFC title.
Leslie Smith
A tune-up fight if there ever was one. Smith is currently ranked 13th in the division by UFC.com and is coming off a first-round knockout win over Jessamyn Duke in July. She is an aggressive fighter with good striking skills, so Holm would definitely be able to showcase her boxing skills if the two were to meet. A win over Smith likely won't be good enough to get a shot at Rousey but if Holm wants to take the long way towards the title, a low-profile fight would be a nice way to get over the dreaded "octagon jitters" so many UFC newcomers face.
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Liz Carmouche
A former number-one contender, Carmouche is in desperate need of a win after suffering back-to-back decision losses. A bout with Carmouch would be a classic "striker vs. grappler" matchup, which could go either way. Holm's biggest weakness is her grappling and Carmouche would be a huge test as she would definitely look to take the fight to the ground. A win over Carmouche would vault Holm right into the middle of the title conversation.
Bethe Correia
Currently the most talked about female fighter not named Ronda Rousey, Correia has been campaigning for a title shot for the past few weeks. Coming off an impressive win over Shayna Baszler on Saturday, "Pitbull" has caught Rousey's attention but UFC president Dana White thinks she needs another big win before she can fight for the title. Holm can knock her right out of title contention and insert her name instead, if she wanted to. After the striking display Correia put on Saturday, it's safe to say a fight between her and Holm would be a slugfest, which UFC fans would love to see.
Who do you think Holm should fight in her debut? Let us know at @SportsWN and @doricsam83.
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