The narrative going around is that Holly Holm turned down a fight with Cris Cyborg at UFC 198. While that statement is accurate in a vacuum, it doesn't tell the whole story.
It's not that Holm doesn't want to fight Cyborg, she told Dave Ross of 120 Sports on Wednesday. It was just that the timing was not right.
When Holm was offered the fight with Cyborg, she was still yearning for a rematch withMiesha Tate for the UFC women's bantamweight title. Tate beat Holm by fifth-round submission at UFC 196 in March. Holm turned down the bout with Cyborg, hoping to get a chance to avenge the loss to Tate.
"I was just kind of holding on to see if I could get the rematch for the belt," Holm said. ... "I'm not against fighting Cyborg. It just didn't seem like the right time."
Without a title rematch on the table, Holm accepted a fight with Valentina Shevchenkoin the main event of UFC on FOX 20 on July 23 in Chicago.
While Shevchenko will be a tough out, Holm remains part of a popular triumvirate at the top of the UFC's women's bantamweight division with Tate and Ronda Rousey, whom Holm knocked out last November at UFC 193.
Cyborg can be added to that mix, but she has said that she would be unable to make the 135-pound weight limit of the women's bantamweight division. Cyborg is currently the Invicta FC 145-pound champion. She did make 139 pound to fight Smith at a catchweight.
While Cyborg might never be able to compete in the UFC's 135-pound division, she can still fight in the UFC at 140 pounds or above. That would not stand in Holm's way.
"I'm not even stuck on the 135 compared to the 140 stuff," Holm said. "It's not really a big thing for me."
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