UFC Vegas 77 has come and gone with a new UFC women's bantamweight contender on our hands when Mayra Bueno Silva shocked the world submitting Holly Holm via ninja choke in the second round.
MAYRA BUENO SILVA NINJA CHOKE TO SUBMIT HOLLY HOLM #UFCVegas77 pic.twitter.com/UbUoFTlPAE
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 16, 2023
Holly Holm came into the fight as a sizable favorite against the surging women's bantamweight contender Mayra Bueno Silva but came up short in the matchup. In the early going Holm was doing what she does, staying on the outside and utilizing her speed and kickboxing skills to keep Bueno Silva from getting within distance. After a bit of a feeling-out process towards the end of the round Bueno Silva was starting to land and get her timing down.
In the second round, it was more of the same on the feet until Holm got into the clinch up against the fence. She was utilizing the great clinch work that we've seen in the past from her but made the crucial mistake of leaving her neck out there as she went for an ill-advised takedown attempt. Being the submission artist that Bueno Silva is, she took advantage and synched up a standing ninja choke where Holm had to tap out seconds after she locked it in.
Holm was looking to get a big at UFC Vegas 77 but unfortunately, it wasn't her night and now it's back to the drawing board to see what's next for Holly Holm to potentially get back to her last and final title shot.
Karol Rosa
Karol Rosa certainly isn't the big name in the women's bantamweight division but she is a tough competitor that is moving up the rankings after a big win over Yana Santos who's a common opponent of Holly Holm. Rosa poses a threat much like Bueno Silva to where she is willing to just come forward, throw caution to the wind to land on her opponents to get her offense going.
Holm is a very technical fighter as we've seen all throughout her time in the UFC which is why this would be a fun fight between these two clashing styles of strikers. The counterstriking of Holm and the pace and power of Rosa just battling it out in a close fight to move one step closer to a potential title shot in the wide-open UFC's women's bantamweight division.
Macy Chiasson
While this may be too big of a step down in competition for Holly Holm, it would be a fight between two bantamweight fighters that have the potential to contend in the bantamweight division but need that signature win to get back into the thick of things. Chiasson is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Irene Aldana in a fight she was seemingly winning until she wasn't much like her last loss to Raquel Pennington. Chiasson has shown that she's got legit power in her hands and has the grappling to make it hard for anyone in the bantamweight division to beat her even Holm.
Holm has shown wear and tear in her most recent loss to Bueno Silva which is something the younger Chiasson can capitalize on in a matchup between the two of them. It could make for an exciting affair but these two bantamweight championship hopefuls.
Ketlen Vieira
Ketlen Vieira and Holly Holm have some unfinished business between these two. Many believed that Holm beat Vieira when they fought but unfortunately, she dropped the split decision which sent MMA Twitter into a frenzy after the scorecards were read. Since that fight, Vieira lost a close split decision against Raquel Pennington and will be in need of a big win on her resume to get back into title contention much like Holly Holm.
Holm since their last fight has gone 1-1 with a dominant win over Yana Santos and her most recent loss to Mayra Bueno Silva. While these two didn't fight each other not that long ago this still would be a very competitive fight between two fighters that are jocking for position to get one of the next title shots most likely at some point in 2024.
Holly Holm is still one of the elite fighters in the women's bantamweight division even after a loss this past Saturday night. All it takes for her to get one dominant win for the UFC brass to think about throwing her into a potential No. 1 contender fight. She is a fighter that puts butts in seats and has already headlined 10 main events in her career showing her draw as a bantamweight contender. With that said it will be interesting to see what Holly Holm and her team decide to do moving forward.
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