Holly Holm understands how big a win for her would be at UFC 219.
Not only would she become the first ever two division champion in the history of the women’s divisions in the UFC, but Holm would also put an end to Cris Cyborg’s win streak that stretches back more than a decade.
Over that course of time, Cyborg has looked virtually unstoppable with only two opponents even making it to the final bell with her much less offering much resistance as she stormed through every single opponent she’s faced.
That’s why Holm knows beating Cyborg on Dec. 30 will be a monumental addition to her resume but much like her victory over Ronda Rousey in 2015, she also understands once will probably not be enough.
Immediately after defeating Rousey, calls for rematch began as naysayers couldn’t believe that Holm was able to topple the longest reigning women’s champion in UFC history in such dominant fashion with a second round head kick knockout.
Holm was more than happy to offer Rousey that rematch but instead the former champion decided to sit out for over a year before finally making her return to action. That was just too much time for Holm to sit on the sidelines so she had to move forward with her own career.
“With Ronda, I was open to a rematch as well, it’s just they didn’t know how long or when she would come back or if she would want to and that’s when I said I don’t want to just wait around,” Holm said during the UFC 219 media conference call on Thursday. “I’ll wait if you can tell me if it’s going to be within six months or whatever but I didn’t want to just be waiting around for that one fight. I want to be able to fight and train and live out my passion. I didn’t want it to be based on just one fighter.
“So I was welcomed to the fact to rematch her. It’s just they didn’t have any answer if she really was going to come back and if she did how long it would be. So I think that situation was different.”
When it comes to her upcoming opponent at UFC 219, Holm believes that Cyborg is an entirely different kind of competitor who wouldn’t be able to sit on a loss for a few months much less sulk on the sidelines for over a year.
So just like she did with Rousey, Holm will gladly offer Cyborg an immediate rematch if she wins at UFC 219 because if seeing isn’t believing the first time around, she’s more than happy to do it all over again.
“If that were to happen in this fight, of course I would say yes,” Holm said about a rematch with Cyborg. “I think anybody deserves a rematch. I think that’s just the name of the game. That’s the fighting spirit and I would definitely be open to that. I feel like Cris is definitely a competitive person as well and trains hard and I think her and Ronda are two really different people.
“I feel like the situation after the fight would be a little bit different anyway. I don’t think Cris would want to sit aside for a year or however long. I mean I don’t know but I feel like that there would be the chance of a rematch if that were to happen.”
