UFC on ESPN 49 Preview: Holly Holm Looks to Hold Off Mayra Bueno Silva
The UFC women's bantamweight title is currently vacant following the June retirement of former two-division champion Amanda Nunes. UFC officials have yet to announce who will compete for the belt when it's put up for grabs again, but Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva would certainly love to make a statement at Saturday's UFC on ESPN 49 event and potentially earn a shot at that title later this year.
Holm (15–6 MMA, 8–6 UFC) is a perennial fan favorite and one of just five women to ever hold the UFC women's bantamweight title. She'll forever be remembered for her stunning 2015 knockout of then-champ Ronda Rousey to claim the belt, though she would then cede it to Miesha Tate four months later. Still, "The Preacher's Daughter" is intent on holding gold once again.
At 41, Holm is still competing at an elite level, standing at 3–1 in her past four appearances, with the lone loss in that span coming via split decision. That said, with more than 21 years of combat sports experience under her belt, she'd be wise to try and book a title fight sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, Brazil's Bueno Silva (10-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) made her way to the UFC in 2018 following a win on Dana White's Contender Series but then went just 2-2-1 while competing in the promotion's flyweight division. However, in 2022, she made the decision to move up 10 pounds to compete as a bantamweight and has since rattled off three consecutive victories over the likes of Lina Lansberg, Stephanie Egger and Wu Yanan. That run has earned her the first UFC main event of her career, not to mention a matchup that is against the most high-profile opponent she's ever faced.
At 31, "Sheetara" appears to be hitting her prime since the move to 135 pounds, and a victory over a former champion would prove she belongs among the division's elite.
The complete UFC on ESPN 49 lineup includes:
Main Card (ESPN, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
- Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Albert Duraev vs. Junyong Park
- Walt Harris vs. Josh Parisian
- Chelsea Chandler vs. Norma Dumont
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Francisco Prado
- Terrance McKinney vs. Nazim Sadykhov
Preliminary Card (ESPN, ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
- Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Tucker Lutz
- Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Istela Nunes
- Melquizael Costa vs. Austin Lingo
- Jack Della Maddalena vs. Bassil Hafez
- Evan Elder vs. Genaro Valdez
- Azat Maksum vs. Tyson Nam
- Carl Deaton vs. Alex Munoz
- Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Ailin Perez