Holly Holm’s prospects seemed pretty bleak to begin 2017.
As recently as February, Holm suffered a tepid unanimous-decision loss to Germaine de Randamie in a fight for the UFC’s inaugural women's featherweight championship.
The defeat was a double-whammy for Holm, as it was not only her third-straight in the Octagon, but it came in a bout that appeared intended to put the 145-pound belt around her waist.
A few months after turning 35 years old, that three-fight skid—including two championship losses in two different weight classes—made it feel unlikely that Holm would ever recapture the heights she enjoyed following her iconic UFC 193 win over Ronda Rousey.