At UFC 239, Holly Holm sought to usurp the UFC bantamweight throne by unseating reigning champion Amanda Nunes. Regrettably for Holm and her dedicated fanbase, this mission did not go as planned, as she was stopped by a first-round head kick and volley of followup punches.
Speaking in a video on her Instagram story on Tuesday, Holm addressed this tough setback, assuring her fans that she will keep moving forward, as the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive played in the background.
“I always say I get to live the life of a dream. I never actually dreamed of getting kicked in the face, that’s never part of my dream,” Holly Holm said (transcript via MMA Fighting). “That’s like on the nightmare part, living a little nightmare, wake up every morning like, ‘Yup, that’s real, that just happened.’ But I just want you guys to know I’m feeling good and I know one thing: I’m still pushing forward.
“A lot of heartbreak right now, but I’m doing fine, I just want you guys to know I appreciate the love and support,” she concluded. “And if you would like to have free lip filler, just get kicked in the face.”
With this loss to Amanda Nunes, the 37-year-old Holly Holm finds herself with a tough 2-5 record in her last seven fights. Prior to this rocky seven-fight stretch, she enjoyed a 10-fight undefeated run which climaxed with an unforgettable head-kick knockout of Ronda Rousey. Needless to say, she has now been on both ends of this devastating attack.
Despite the fact that she seems inclined to keep fighting, UFC President Dana White claimed after UFC 239 that he would talk to her about her fighting future.
“She’s an incredible athlete, an incredible human being. I don’t know. I think she needs to take a look at what’s next for her,” White said at the UFC 239 press conference.
“I’m just saying that because I care about her as a person. She’s amazing. [It’s just] something we should probably talk about.”
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/10/2019.