UFC Wants Holly Holm To Challenge Amanda Nunes In Brazil

Holly Holm’s coach has offered an explanation for his fighter’s removal from the UFC 235 card.

Holm was scheduled to take on Aspen Ladd on March 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many were surprised when UFC president Dana White revealed that the fight was off and the promotion was working on something else for Holm. Speculation ran wild, but it appears we now have some clarity.

Coach Mike Winkeljohn spoke to BJPenn.com‘s Cole Shelton. During the interview, Winkeljohn revealed that officials want Holm to challenge UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 237 in May:

“I’m not sure, they are negotiating some things. All I know is the fight was called off because they want her to fight Nunes in Brazil. They have been talking to the UFC about it. Holly is all in and she is ready to fight anyone and anywhere. We are still in training camp. We are acting like we are fighting Ladd at UFC 235. She’s back training. We are training for both of them, but the Nunes fight will be down the road. Right now, our focus is on Ladd fight, as it is tough on everybody, it definitely is not fair to Aspen Ladd that this happened, but I promise you it has nothing to do with Holly. She is ready and waiting to fight.”

Nunes is coming off a stunning 51-second finish over Cris Cyborg to capture the UFC women’s featherweight title. Nunes has been hinting at wanting to defend her 135-pound gold next. If Winkeljohn is to be believed, then that’s the direction the UFC would like to go in as well.