Retired Boxing World Champion Holly Holm was signed up to face the only woman who has ever defeated Christiane “Cyborg” Justino. “Cyborg” is the number one ranked 145-pound fighter in WMMA and only suffered a single set back in her eight year MMA career. That loss came at the hands of Erica Paes (2-2) who would snatch onto a kneebar in her 2005-fight with Cyborg, ending the fight in under two minutes.
Paes would go on a near eight year hiatus from active competition and would return this past April in pursuit of capturing the glory she once held in 2005. In her attempt to do that, Paes found herself aligned with Albuquerque’s Holly Holm in a showdown promoted by the Legacy FC promotion based in Texas.
Several sources have now confirmed however, that Paes will no longer be able to meet Holm for the October 11th bout on the Legacy FC 24 fight card at the Allen Event Center in Dallas, Texas. In her place, Alaska’s Nikki “Knuckles” Knudsen (2-1) will step up to the plate to try and give Holm (4-0) her first MMA defeat.
Knudsen is also returning to active competition from a lengthy hiatus. She will be making her second appearance inside a cage this year; Knudsen secured a rear-naked choke victory back in January over Windy Thorn. Holm is coming off a highlight reel knockout in her last appearance under the Legacy banner.
Stay tuned to SWFight.com for more event coverage and a bout breakdown.
