UFC 246 Predictions

Following a devastating head kick knockout loss to Amanda Nunes last year, former UFC women's bantamweight champion, Holly Holm, will need to create some momentum in her next fight if she ever hopes to challenge the Brazilian for the 135lb title again.

The next step in Holm's journey begins against Raquel Pennington, who she beat in her UFC debut back in 2015. Despite many people believing that the former boxing champion would easily dispose of Pennginton, it was an extremely tough and gritty scrap that could've gone either way.

Both ladies have grown since then, especially Holm who has rounded out her overall MMA skillset a fair amount since her UFC debut. While it's highly unlikely that she'll be taking the fight to the floor and searching for submissions, the threat is there, especially after how she handled Megan Anderson at UFC 225.

Pennington's only real path to victory involves her using her clinch work to stifle Holm's striking. While she's really good at doing that, her style isn't fight finish friendly and often means it's left for the judges to decide. It might work sometimes, but it's not a convincing way to win. We've got to go with Holm due to her improvements as a fighter and because she has more weapons in her arsenal.

Holly Holm via unanimous decision.