A matchup between two of the top women’s bantamweight fighters in the world is now official.
Holly Holm and Irene Aldana both made weight Friday in Abu Dhabi, each hitting the scale at 136 pounds. The two women will meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday on Yas Island, which has been dubbed “Fight Island,” UFC’s international home during the coronavirus pandemic.
ESPN has Aldana ranked No. 5 and Holm ranked No. 6 in its women’s bantamweight MMA rankings.
Holm (13-5), the former division champion, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Raquel Pennington at UFC 246 in January. The New Mexico native has won three of her last five fights, with the losses during that span coming to current UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes and former UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg.
Holm, 38, famously ended Ronda Rousey’s undefeated streak, knocking her out at UFC 193 on Nov. 14, 2015.
The surging Aldana (12-5) has won two in a row and five of her last six. She is the first Mexican-born woman to headline a UFC event. Aldana, 32, is coming off a first-round knockout of Ketlen Vieira at UFC 245 in December, and a win could set her up for a title shot against Nunes.
The two heavyweight co-main event fighters also made weight Friday. Yorgan De Castro hit the scale at 261 pounds; his opponent, Carlos Felipe, weighed 263 pounds. Both fighters are hoping to avoid a second consecutive loss, as De Castro fell to Greg Hardy at UFC 249 in May and Felipe lost to Serghei Spivac in July.
All other fighters on the card successfully made weight.
Credit: Source link