UFC Fight Island 4 was a big night for the women’s bantamweight division. On the main card you had four of the top six contenders in the bantamweight division in action. The champion, Amanda Nunes, had her eyes on the action on Saturday.
I’m excited for @UFC tonight. Looks like next year I’m going to be very busy.
— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) October 3, 2020
In the main event of UFC Fight Island 4, Holly Holm (14-5) took on Irene Aldana (12-6). A fight that was being hyped up as a competitive striking match proved to be anything but. Instead of a competitive fight, Holm completely dominated Aldana over the course of five rounds.
The former UFC bantamweight champion made a big statement on Saturday. Earlier in the evening the top ranked bantamweight contender, Germaine de Randamie (10-4) was also in action. The former featherweight champion took on Juliana Pena (9-4).
This fight proved to be much more competitive than the main event. Both ladies had clearly won a round entering the third in final round. Pena tried to be aggressive, but she ended up getting caught in a guillotine choke. The former UFC champion tightened the choke and put Pena out.
It was a big night for the top two contenders in the bantamweight division. Both de Randamie and Holm were very impressive, however, there’s not a clear number one contender after Saturday. However, there appears to be a clear path for what’s next.
What should the UFC do?
The greatest women’s fighter of all time, Amanda Nunes, will be defending her featherweight title later this year at UFC 256. The double champion is expected to drop back down to defend her bantamweight title at some point in 2021.
With Nunes planning on returning, the path for the UFC is pretty clear. The promotion needs to pair up de Randamie and Holm again after Saturday night. These two ladies have history that dates back to UFC 208.
Holm and de Randamie headlined that PPV which crowned the first UFC women’s featherweight champion. De Randamie won on the scorecards, but it was a fight that was littered with controversy. De Randamie hit Holm after the bell following multiple rounds.
While de Randamie won three rounds, many believed she should’ve had a point taken away which would have made the fight a draw. Instead, de Randamie walked out as the UFC‘s featherweight champion. However, nobody felt great about the result.
There has never been a more perfect time to run this fight back. These two are the top ranked contenders in the bantamweight division, and it’s going to take some time before Nunes is ready to defend the title. The winner of the rematch would present a clear top challenger for the GOAT.