Calling the attention of Ronda Rousey: There is another worthy opponent rising to the echelon of worthy challengers to the women's bantamweight belt. Holly Holm, the decorated boxer, is making her UFC debut this December against Raquel Pennington in one of the preliminary fights to the Johny Hendricks-Robbie Lawler main event.

Holm is an undefeated world boxer in three divisions and is looking to set up her rise in women's mixed martial arts. He made her transition to the amateur ranks of MMA in 2011 and is sporting an immaculate 7-0 record. The fighter who hails from Greg Jackson finally inked a contract with UFC in July and is looking to make her first impression against Pennington.

Pennington is a former The Ultimate Fighter (UFC) contestant and has a 2-2 record in four fights. Her last two fights ended in sharp contrast: the first won resulted in a win over veteran Roxanne Modafferi, while the second one ended with a loss to Jessica Andrade by split decision in March.

ESPN reports that the delay in the debut of the 32-year-old Holm was mainly due to a broken arm she sustained during her TKO win over Juliana Werner in April in the minor leagues. Holm has been crushing the opposition left and right with all but one of her seven bouts in the UFC resulting to TKOs. The 5-foot-8 fighter has been rigorously training in the Jaskson-Winkeljohn MMA gym in her hometown. Her sparring partners and mentors include UFC heavy lightweight champion Jon Jones, Carlos Condit and Donald Cerrone.

Possible Rousey Opponent

According to Rappler, Holm is possibly being groomed as potential challenger to the current women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. At a ripe age of 32, her boxing standup game is a sharp contract to Rousey's take-me-down specialty and judo discipline. Holm's boxing prowess is backed up by her 33-2-3 record and 18 titles in three different weight classes.

While there are still plenty of choices down the pipeline for a Rousey opponent, the signing of Holm is another option that UFC President Dana White is considering. Rowdy is set to face Cat Zingano next at UFC 182 in Las Vegas in January 2015. In the meantime, watch the highlights of Holly Holm's fights below:

(Source: Youtube/TeamHollyHolm)

RELATED STORIES