Update On August Holly Holm Vs. Irene Aldana UFC Fight

Another bout featuring Holly Holm has been postponed. This time, however, it is because of a cancelation by her opponent.

Holm (13-5), the former UFC Bantamweight Champion, was supposed to face off against Irene Aldana on August 1. The fight is officially off, as Holm’s manager stated to MMA Fighting that Aldana had to withdraw from the bout. No specific reason has been given for Aldana exiting the card. UFC President Dana White confirmed the news when speaking to Ronda Rousey on Instagram Live. He said it has been postponed and will be back on later this year.

As a result, the co-main event of Derek Brunson v. Edmen Shahbazyan will now main event the show.

“Holly is very disappointed and saddened that her fight was postponed, but stuff happens,” manager Lenny Fresquez said. “We’re only interested in fighting someone that’s going to help us get a title shot. So there’s only really two girls, and that’s Aldana and [Aspen] Ladd, and Ladd’s out.”

Holm (13-5) last fought in January, beating Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision. She was supposed to face Pennington in October but had to back out due to an injury. Aldana (12-5) is on a two-fight win streak and is 5-1 in her last six.

Brunson (20-7) and Shahbazyan (11-0) were supposed to fight at UFC 248 on March 7, but it was rescheduled to April 11. Ultimately, it ended up getting cut due to the coronavirus.

Brunson is on a two-fight win streak. The 36-year-old beat Elias Theodorou and Ian Heinisch via unanimous decision in 2019. Number eight in the UFC’s middleweight rankings, Brunson has eleven wins via knockout.

Shahbazyan (11-0) is perfect so far in his UFC career. Debuting on Dana White’s Contender Series, “The Golden Boy” has won three fights in 2019. His last bout was a knockout win over Brad Tavares at UFC 244 back in November. He has nine wins via some form of knockout.

The August 1 event will take place inside the UFC’s APEX Center.

BREAKING! 📰

📝 @DerekBrunson & @EdmenShahbazyan move to the main event of the August 1st event. pic.twitter.com/zCEmc3aQZH

— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2020