Holly Holm believes that her rematch with Stephanie Han on Saturday at MVPW-03 in El Paso is an absolute must-win situation if the former UFC bantamweight champion and three-division boxing titleholder wants to secure big fights in boxing and MMA.
Not that Holm is downplaying any of the fights in her 24-year combat sports career across boxing and mixed martial arts. But at 44, she's aware that her future is in jeopardy if she fails to get the job done against the unbeaten WBA lightweight champion.
"With a win against Han, big doors open for me," Holm said to ESPN. "With a loss? Boom! The door shuts right in my face."
Holm lost to Han by technical decision in January it what was her second fight back in the boxing ring after being away for 12 years. The fight ended after Holm suffered a cut from an accidental clash of heads in Round 7. Although she felt like she was beginning to turn the tide, Holm was down big on the scorecards. She hopes to carry that momentum into the rematch and on to bigger and better fights.
Holm remains one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes in the world and sees options for major fights in both boxing and MMA with a win on Saturday.
"I don't think it's any big secret that there's a potential fight with Katie Taylor," Holm said. The popular Irish unified junior welterweight champion is planning to retire after one more fight and is hoping for it to be staged in her hometown at Croke Park in Dublin. With Holm's popularity and boxing pedigree, a fight with Taylor would be huge.
However, with Most Valuable Promotions entering the mixed martial arts space, Holm is also targeting a rematch with the winner of the MVP MMA 1 main event winner: Ronda Rousey. Holm famously knocked out Rousey to become the UFC women's bantamweight champion in 2015. The stunning knockout would eventually send Rousey into a ten-year retirement. Rousey ended her retirement earlier this month with a 17 second armbar submission of Gina Carano.
Although Rousey has said that she is heading back into retirement, Holm is more than open to a rematch ten years in the making even if she doesn't think her rival will want redemption.
"I don't think Ronda Rousey wants to fight me but MVP is doing MMA now and I know that's a big fight that can happen," Holm said. "I would love to compete in MMA again and I'm open to whatever doors are open in boxing and MMA."
Holm isn't limiting her options to Rousey and told ESPN that she's open to any big name in MMA. But if forced to choose what's next if she emerges victorious on Saturday, she'd lobby for both.
"A fight with Taylor is one that nobody has seen and would be unknown territory," Holm said. "But a rematch with Ronda is where everyone would get to see if my win was a one-time thing or if it would go differently.
"I don't think one is necessarily bigger than the other and there would be a lot of excitement for either fight."
Rousey is aware of a potential rematch and addressed the possibility of a fight with Holm on the Up & Adams Show.
"I said I'm retired," Rousey said. "But I'm a completely different fighter now and I would clean her clock...I definitely have the ability and the opportunity to be able to clean her clock and rewrite [my history] but it's no longer important to me anymore."