Things went from great to terrible quickly regarding the negotiations between the UFC and undefeated mixed martial artist (and highly successful boxer) Holly Holm.
While Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez went on MMA Junkie Radio and said that a deal with the UFC was close to completion, UFC president Dana White took to the airwaves to quash any such rumors.
On @UFCTonight woman’s UFC rumors got shot down. @danawhite is not talking with @ginacarano, @criscyborg and did not like @_HOLLYHOLM‘s mgr.
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) March 19, 2014
And, as reported by MMAFighting.com, things have not gotten better, with White flatly saying the UFC is “not interested whatsoever” in Holm.
The news is not especially surprising, given the UFC’s recent difficulties regarding contract negotiations with noteworthy stars in and out of the UFC. Most notably, former lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez came incredibly close to leaving the promotion to join the promotion’s biggest rival Bellator.
Holm splits her time between mixed martial arts and boxing. In 2013, she picked up four mixed martial arts fights and once defended her IBA and WBF boxing titles. As a result, she is taking in more money than most 6-0 MMA prospects, which might mean that she is asking for more than the UFC is willing to give simply to match her current income.
That, however, wasn’t all that Fresquez was asking for at the negotiating table. “She’s got to make at least what she makes here, and we’re close on that. The thing is making sure we get paid for Ronda,” he said on MMA Junkie Radio.
It’s worth noting that, per Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter, Holm has two fights remaining on her contract with Legacy FC, one of them being her upcoming bout with Juliana Werner at Legacy FC 30 in April. She can skip out on it early with an offer from the UFC…but only the UFC (not Bellator or World Series of Fighting).
Holm fans shouldn’t necessarily stop hoping for her to join the UFC, but the odds of seeing her in the near future have gone down.
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