Holly Holm continues her journey to once again become the women's bantamweight champion on Saturday night, as she returns to the Octagon to face rising contender Irene Aldana in the main event of UFC Fight Night at "Fight Island" from the Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Initially, Holm and Aldana were scheduled to meet at the beginning of August. But 10 days before the fight, Aldana had bow out due to contracting COVID-19. Holm was taken off the card and moved to Saturday at the top of the marquee.
It's been a bumpy road for Holm since knocking out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in November 2015. She's gone 3-5 with four of those being championship bouts. But Holm got back on track at January's UFC 246, defeating Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision. A win over Aldana puts her right back in position to get one more opportunity at the gold.
Aldana stands in Holm's way of her pursuit of the belt. The native of Mexico has won four of her last five, including back-to-back tilts that were punctuated by a highlight-reel KO of Ketlen Vieira at UFC 245.
While a win against someone of Holm's stature won't net her a title shot, it will put her in the rankings and vault Aldana into top contender status. Holm needs a dominant showing to remind everyone she's still here and is a force to be reckoned with.
Here's everything you need to know about UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana.
When is UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana?
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
- Prelims: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Main card: 10:30 p.m. ET
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana takes place Saturday night, Oct. 3 (which will be Sunday morning local time in Abu Dhabi). Prelims get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 10:30 p.m. ET.
How to watch UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana TV, live stream info
In the United States, the prelims and main card are on ESPN+.
In Canada, the prelims (8:30 p.m. ET) are on TSN5 and the main card is on TSN3 and TSN5.
In the U.K., UFC Fight Night can be seen live BT Sport (prelims at 1:30 a.m. BST and main card at 3:30 a.m.).
In Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain, the UFC Fight Night main card (4:30 a.m. CEST Sunday) is available on DAZN, the global sports streaming service.
More details about how to watch in other countries can be found at UFC.com.
Where is UFC Fight Night?
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana will take place at "Fight Island" from the Flash Forum in Yas lsland, Abu Dhabi. Holm and Aldana will be fighting there for the first time.
Holm vs. Aldana odds
According to BetMGM on Friday, the fight is nearly at a pick-em. Holm comes in at -121, meaning that you would need to bet $121 to win $100. Meanwhile, Aldana is listed at 100, indicating that a $100 bet could net $100 if she exits the Octagon with a victory.
Holly Holm record, bio
- Name: Holly Holm
- Nationality: American
- Born: Oct. 17, 1981
- Height: 5-8
- Reach: 69 inches
- Total fights: 18
- Record: 13-5
Irene Aldana record, bio
- Name: Irene Aldana
- Nationality: Mexican
- Born: March 26, 1988
- Height: 5-8
- Reach: 69 inches
- Total fights: 17
- Record: 12-5
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana fight card
Main card
- Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana; Women's Bantamweight
- Yorgan de Castro vs. Carlos Felipe; Heavyweight
- Germaine de Randamie vs. Julianna Peña; Women’s Bantamweight
- Dequan Townsend vs. Duško Todorović; Middleweight
Preliminary card
- Kyler Phillips vs. Cameron Else; Bantamweight
- Carlos Condit vs. Court McGee; Welterweight
- Charles Jourdain vs. Josh Culibao; Featherweight
- Jordan Williams vs. Nassourdine Imavov; Middleweight
- Loma Lookboonmee vs. Jinh Yu Frey; Women’s Strawweight
- Casey Kenney vs. Heili Alateng; Bantamweight
- Luigi Vendramini vs. Jessin Ayari; Lightweight