Holly Holm is returning to fight in the place where she stunned the UFC world in 2015 — Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
According to ESPN, Holm will reportedly fight Raquel Pennington in a 135-pound bantamweight contest at UFC 243 on October 5. Contracts have not yet been signed, but the two fighters have reportedly verbally agreed to the bout.
Marvel Stadium is the venue in which Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey with a stunning headkick at UFC 193. With the knockout, Holm handed Rousey her first professional loss and also claimed the women's bantamweight belt. It was a career defining moment for Holm and a highlight reel-worthy knockout, but Holm's UFC career has been up-and-down since that fight.
Holm lost the belt to Miesha Tate in her first attempted defense in 2016, and has a 2-5 record since her win over Rousey. Her two wins during this stretch were against Bethe Correia and Megan Anderson. She has championship losses to Miesha Tate, Germaine de Randamie, Cris Cyborg, and Amanda Nunes, along with a non-title loss to Valentina Shevchenko.
At 37-years-old, Holm is still a competitive fighter, but her latest loss to Amanda Nunes sparked conversation about whether she is still able to compete with top-tier talent (and even speculation about possible retirement).
Holm made her UFC debut against Raquel Pennington at UFC 184 in February 2015. She won by split decision in a close match that some thought Pennington should have won.
Pennington, meanwhile, is coming off a win over Irene Aldana in July. She had lost her two previous fights: a catchweight bout against Germaine de Randamie by unanimous decision, and a bantanmweight championship fight against Amanda Nunes that ended in a TKO for Pennington..