One of the hottest free agents in MMA is not a man but a woman. That woman is former pro boxing champ and undefeated mixed martial artist Holly Holm.
Holm, who is 7-0, is currently mending a broken arm suffered in April. However, she should be ready to go in the coming months, and the UFC has been pursuing the WMMA star actively, Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting reports.
In the event that the UFC does sign Holm, who should she debut against? Let's take a look at four possibilities for her eventual premiere, if and when it happens.
Germaine de Randamie
Holm is a world-class boxer who has added some nice kicks to her repertoire. That makes her a great matchup for another great striker.
Enter Germaine de Randamie, a muay thai buzzsaw who has incredible accomplishments outside MMA in kickboxing.
Not only does she hold the women's record for most consecutive wins in muay thai/kickboxing competition, but she also is a multiple-time world champion and a former European champion. That is impressive, especially when you consider that it's a bracket that would likely include Jorina Baars, the woman who defeated Cris Cyborg at Lion Fights recently.
Their styles would mesh well. Holm's power and incredible boxing acumen would collide with De Randamie's nasty kicking and clinch game. It would be a must-see women's bout.
Jessica Rakoczy
This is an intriguing bout because both women are accomplished pro boxers, but the size difference and MMA skill set Holm has over Rakoczy would probably make this a predictable affair.
Sometimes, stars need to be fed competition to build them up. Now, I am not saying this would be the proverbial squash match, but given their MMA track records, it seems pretty obvious.
Just seeing two boxing champions in the Octagon together would be fun to watch, though, no matter the outcome.
Jessica Andrade
Jessica Andrade throws missiles for punches when she's in the cage. That is interesting, as a matchup with Holm would be power puncher vs. technical master.
Andrade is tough as nails, aggressive and always moving forward. She's like a female Wanderlei Silva circa Pride, when he was one of the more feared fighters in the world.
Lock these two in a cage and let them loose. Either Holm would continue her winning ways or Andrade would derail the hype train.
Liz Carmouche
Liz Carmouche is the gatekeeper in the women's 135-pound division. It's only proper that she shows UFC fans whether Holm is for real.
Since losing her title bid to Ronda Rousey, Carmouche has gone 1-2. She did beat a late opponent in Andrade, but she got dominated by Alexis Davis and dropped another fight to Miesha Tate.
Not only that, but it's time that Holm challenged herself against a tough wrestler. That's what Carmouche represents, and she could really give us a glimpse into how rounded Holm's game is.
