Former bantamweight title-holder Holly Holm says she wants to retire as a champion as she plans to take a huge step towards gold with victory in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The American, who won the belt memorably against Ronda Rousey in 2015, headlines UFC Fight Night at Flash Forum, the second of five events on the latest Fight Island series in the capital.
Holm has been heavily criticised in the past regarding the amount of title bouts she has been awarded by the promotion, especially given that she has lost all three of her most recent attempts – twice at featherweight and once at bantamweight.
However, the bantamweight No 2-ranked challenger, 38, insists a fine showing on Sunday against No 6-ranked Irene Aldana would move her back towards yet another championship shot.
“My goal is to have the title,” Holm told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I want to retire with the title. I’m truly a big believer in the fact that, if you’re not trying to fight for a title, what are you fighting for?
“If you’re not trying to be No 1, what are you fighting for? That’s the difference between somebody who just wants a participation ribbon and a gold medal. I’m always going for gold.”
Holm, whose professional record stands at 13-5 (6-5 UFC), was slated to face Aldana in August, but the bout was called off after her opponent contracted Covid-19.
“My biggest thing is: the only way to get [a title shot] is to make the best statement with this fight,” Holm said. “I can’t be thinking past my opponent right now, so that’s what I want to do is just make the most of this fight then go from there.”
Having done her homework on Aldana, Holm recognises the threat posed by the Mexican, who sits at 12-5 in MMA (5-3 UFC) and has lost only once in her past six bouts.
“I have watched a little [of Aldana],” Holm said. “I don’t watch a ton of other fighters in my division. I just focus on whoever I have in front of me, but sometimes there will be a fight where it’s like, ‘I may face this woman eventually’.
“Irene is definitely been one of those fighters like, ‘You know what, her and I are definitely going to see each other in the octagon soon’. So, I’ve been watching.”
Aldana, meanwhile, sees a win against Holm as a stepping-stone to a bantamweight title encounter with two-division champion Amanda Nunes. The Brazilian is expected to defend her featherweight crown against Megan Anderson in December.
“I’m confident now,” Aldana said on Wednesday. “I haven’t won the fight yet but I’m confident now. I know I have the level, I know I have the skills and I know I’m going to improve even more when I have the time and I’m going to be ready for Amanda when it’s time.
“We’re going to give her good options at 135. We are not done, we are getting stronger and the competition is getting bigger at 135. She can still be busy at 145, so whatever she wants to do.”
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 0 Wolves 2 (Jimenez 3', Saiss 6)
Man of the Match Romain Saiss (Wolves)
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
