Holm Headed For Surgery

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm was forced to withdraw from her upcoming showdown against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 champion Julianna Pena, scheduled for the promotion’s “Fight Night” event on May 8.

Now we know why.

“The Preacher’s Daughter” was felled by hydronephrosis, which Google tells me is the swelling of a kidney due to a build-up of urine. I reckon it’s about as painful as it sounds, which may explain why Holm checked herself into the hospital.

“In my case it’s something they say I was born with but just hadn’t had any problems until now,” Holm wrote on Instagram. “I’m doing great and will be fine. A little bump in the road but thankfully it’s fixable. I hope to only have to postpone a few weeks from the original date of May 8 to fight. Excited to get back in there and put it all on the line for you guys!!!”

If the former champ can get back into action in just a couple of weeks, then Pena can forget about that Amanda Nunes fight she was trying to finagle after Holm pulled out. No word yet from promotion officials on how they plan to proceed.

Stay tuned.