Before UFC 225, the immediate path forward for women’s title fights seemed simple: Neither featherweight champion Cris Cyborg nor bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes had a clear-cut, top-drawing contender, so matching the two in a superfight appeared to be the logical next step.
Then Holly Holm went out and ragdolled a larger opponent in former Invicta featherweight champion Megan Anderson at Chicago’s United Center, and all of a sudden, the only woman ever to hold both UFC and world boxing championships finds herself holding the key the future as the most sellable contender in two separate divisions.