Holm vs Bueno Silva Prediction: Will Holly Holm Earn A 6th Title Fight?

The legendary Holly Holm returns to the octagon with clear ambitions – to win and fight for the Bantamweight belt once again. She will face prospect Mayra Bueno Silva, who has been storming through the division. Here is our Holm vs Bueno Silva prediction.

UFC Vegas 77: Holm vs Bueno Silva Prediction

Holly Holm Preview

Holly is a 41-year-old athlete from the USA. She entered MMA in 2011 as an accomplished athlete. Before mixed martial arts, Holly had a colorful career in boxing. She won titles in 3 weight categories in this discipline and had 18 successful belt defenses.

Before moving to the UFC, Holly competed in a string of second-rate promotions, where she amassed a perfect 7-0 record and became the champion in the LFA promotion. Holly showed impressive performances and got 4 out of 7 victories by knockouts. The bright athlete was noticed by UFC matchmakers and invited to the promotion.

Holm's debut in the UFC took place in February 2015 in a duel against Raquel Pennington, whom Holly defeated by a split decision. Holm consolidated her success in July of the same year, defeating Marion Renault on points.

Holly Holm's Title Raids

At that time, the dominant female champion Ronda Rousey was in the women's bantamweight division. The matchmakers decided to match the undefeated title holder with Holly, who also had a perfect record. Holly approached the title fight as a serious underdog with odds close to 7/1. On November 14, 2015, Holm gave it her all and not only didn’t give her opponent a chance to win but also effectively finished the fight in the second round, charging her opponent with a high kick in the head. This finish was voted the best knockout of 2015.

But on the very first defense, Holly lost the title. In March 2016, she was submitted in the 5th round by Misha Tate.

In 2017, Holly again decided to win a belt again. To do this, she moved up to the women's featherweight category for a title shot against Germaine De Randamie. Holm was inferior to her opponent in size and physical strength and eventually lost the fight for the vacant belt. As a result, Germain became the champion of the division.

In June of the same year, Holly finally got the long-awaited victory by knocking out Bethe Correia in the 3rd round. This victory again brought the athlete to the status of a contender. At the New Year's Eve tournament in 2017, Holly's championship fight took place against the title holder Cris Cyborg. The first two rounds were dictated by Holm. She clinched the larger and more physically powerful Cyborg well, but Chris began to interrupt Holly from the third round onward, and the judges gave the victory to the champion.

Holm closed the defeat to Cyborg by defeating Megan Anderson by unanimous decision and again became the main contender for the title. Once again, Holly's attempt to get the belt back was unsuccessful. She was knocked out by Amanda Nunes at the end of the 1st round. Since then, she has been trying to get a new chance for the belt, which will depend on this fight here. And this is very important information for our Holm vs Bueno Silva prediction.

Holm's Strengths & Weaknesses

Holly Holm relies on calculation and practicality, which is why her matches are not as interesting as one would hope. As a former boxing champion, Holm has excellent punching technique with fast hands, good footwork, and head movement. The athlete also shows herself well in the clinch, confidently controlling her rivals.

She has vast experience in five-round fights, most of which have reached the decision. In the fight against Irene Aldana in the final five minutes, Holm looked like she had just entered the octagon and discharged long combinations into her opponent.

The only thing that causes concern is the age of the athlete. Holly Holm is 41 years old! For a professional fighter, this is a serious age. Nevertheless, we have to note that Holm looked incredible in her fight against Yana Santos. Back then we were almost certain that Holm would lose and yet, she shocked us.

Mayra Bueno Silva Preview

Mayra is a 31-year-old athlete from Brazil. She started her professional career in 2015. Before moving to the UFC, Bueno Silva competed in regional promotions, where she scored a 4-0 record. In 2018, Mayra came to Dana White's Contender Series show, where she submitted Mayana Souza in 1 minute and received a contract with the UFC.

The debut of the Brazilian in the UFC took place in September 2019 in a duel against Gillian Robertson, which she won by submission in the 1st round. At first, Bueno Silva did not have much success and alternated between wins and defeats. Now,  however, she is on a 3-win streak.

Bueno Silva's Strengths & Weaknesses

Bueno Silva is a BJJ brown belt and is the most dangerous on the ground. If she manages to get on the canvas, she continuously looks for a position for submission. This is not a fighter that wants to win points through control or ground and pound. Mayra won 5 of 8 victories by submissions.

In hand-to-hand combat, Mayra suffers from the typical problems of most BJJ specialists: she has a weak stance and ineffective takedowns. She has power, but no technique. The Brazilian throws powerful but sweeping punches, which is why she often misses.

Holly Holm vs Mayra Bueno Silva Prediction: Expect a Long 5-Rounder

I'm looking forward to a typical fight performed by Holly Holm. She will rely on accurate work at a distance and exhausting her opponent in a viscous clinch. All that Maira Bueno Silva can offer is groundwork and attempts to get a submission. Mayra attacks well, but at the same time, she loses ground and is easy to control. Keep in mind that Holly Holm has been submitted only once in 21 matches to date. She is as experienced as a fighter can be and she will probably not make many mistakes.

The safest Holm vs Bueno Silva prediction we can provide is for a long fight. Depending on your betting style, consider Over 3.5/Over 4.5 Rounds.

• Over 3.5/Over 4.5 Rounds