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Holm's agent denies that proposed bout with Cyborg was for UFC title

PAUL CROCK / AFP / Getty

Holly Holm wanted to fight Cris Cyborg, but she wasn't going to jump up to featherweight to do it.

According to Holm's manager Lenny Fresquez, his client was in negotiations to fight the Invicta FC champion but the two sides could not come to an agreement over what weight they would compete at. Fresquez's comments came shortly after reports surfaced that Cyborg recently declined to face Holm in what was meant to be a battle for the inaugural UFC 145-pound title.

Holm's team was looking for a catchweight bout at either 136 or 138 pounds, which are both lower than the 140-pound limit at which Cyborg has made her two UFC appearances. There was apparently no point at which they were interested in a featherweight championship match.

Having butted heads with UFC president Dana White in the past over Fresquez's handling of Holm, he emphasized that it was a group decision to not take the fight.

"We make decisions as a team," Fresquez told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani. "We accepted the Cyborg fight up to a certain weight limit. On two different occasions, we went up on weight, and (Cyborg) turned them down."

Holm is currently on a two-fight skid after losing the women's bantamweight title to Miesha Tate in March and following that up with a disappointing decision loss to Valentina Shevchenko in July. Fresquez says Holm could be back in competition by February, though no opponents have been discussed.

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