Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya added to UFC San Antonio
A women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Yana Kunitskaya has been added to the upcoming UFC San Antonio card.
MMAFighting.com was the first to report the Holm vs. Kunitskaya fight, which takes place on March 25 at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. This fight is not expected to be the headliner, meaning it will be a three-round matchup between two of the top-10 ranked women’s 135lbers.
Holm (14-6) has not fought since May when she lost a controversial split decision to Ketlen Vieira. Now 41 years of age, Holm is a former UFC women’s bantamweight champion but she hasn’t held the belt since 2016. In the years since she lost her belt, Holm has struggled to maintain consistency and rack up a winning streak. She is one of the most popular women’s MMA fighters in the UFC, and her 2015 knockout win over Ronda Rousey is one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. But other than the Rousey win, Holm has never really lived up to the expectations. Overall, Holm has a record of 7-6 in the UFC, so she needs this win over Kunitskaya to keep her UFC record above .500.
Kunitskaya (14-6, 1 NC) is coming off of a knockout loss to Irene Aldana back in July 2021, having not fought since then due to giving birth. At 33 years of age, she still has plenty of time to get back on track and start moving back up the UFC women’s bantamweight ladder again. Overall, she has a 4-3 record in the UFC, with her most notable win being a decision over the aforementioned Vieira. Kunitskaya needs to bounce back with a big win here over Holm if she is going to want to get back into title contention in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, so this is an important fight.
Holm will likely be the betting favorite for this fight, but don’t completely discount Kunitskaya here as she is a well-rounded fighter who certainly has a chance to get her hand raised in this bout.
Who do you think wins this women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Yana Kunitskaya?
