Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Holly Holm after tough loss at UFC Vegas 55?

UFC Vegas 55 went down this past weekend (Sat., May 21, 2022) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, leaving plenty of fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Dusko Todovoric, who was knocked out cold by Chidi Njokuani with a nasty standing elbow (see it again here).

Also, Santiago Ponzinibbio, who suffered his second straight defeat, dropping to 1-3 in his last four fights after coming up short against Michel Pereira in a wild brawl (recap here). But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Holly Holm.

Coming into her main event fight against Ketlen Vieira, Holm was in prime position to earn herself yet another title fight with a victory because she is currently ranked No. 2, just behind Amanda Nunes, who will rematch Julianna Pena for the strap at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022.

Instead, “The Preacher’s Daughter” ended up on the wrong end of a split decision loss to Vieira after 25 minutes of close action. While Holm wasn’t happy with the result, she admits she could have a done more to sway the fight her way. Still, some fans are likely to argue the decision should have gone the other way, but at the end of the day, the judges have the final word and it was one that didn’t do Holm any favors.

“I thought I won the fight,” Holm said during her post-fight interview. “I gave her round two, and I feel like I won all the rest of the rounds. I always feel like I can do more and be more perfect, but I thought I won the fight. I don’t feel like it was a question. I’ve got to figure out what’s gonna happen now. One step forward or one step back is how that usually goes. It’s what happens.”

With the loss, Holm will probably drop one or two spots in the women’s Bantamweight rankings, which will make it a tad bit tougher for her prospects of earning another shot at the title. But, when we really dive in, Holm is just 4-6 since she knocked out Ronda Rousey back in 2015.

With a title fight out of the picture (for now), Holm will go into her next bout with a bit more pressure of trying to avoid a second straight loss, which would really put a damper on her championship dreams.

As for who she should face next, perhaps a fight against the loser of the Pena vs. Nunes rematch is likely. Holm already has a loss to “Lioness” on her record, losing via first round technical knockout in 2019 (see it again here). That said, the former professional boxer would love nothing more than the chance to get some revenge to remain in the Top 5.

A fight against Pena would also be ideal because it would be a fresh match up that we’ve yet to see. Of course, all of this is assuming that the promotion doesn’t book a third straight fight between Pena and Nunes given the outcome, which has been the norm as of late.

For complete UFC Vegas 55 results and coverage click here.