COMBAT SPORTS
Serrano added to Holm-Han card in El Paso
J-W teammates Pico, Hokit on UFC card Saturday
In January, boxers Holly Holm and Stephanie Han fought on Amanda Serrano’s undercard in Puerto Rico.
On May 30 in El Paso, Serrano’s returning the favor — though, technically, it’s a double main event.
Most Valuable Promotions announced on Tuesday that Serrano (48-4-1, 31 knockouts) will face Germany’s Cheyenne “Pepper” Hanson (17-2, 13 KOs) on the May 30 card at the El Paso County Coliseum.
As previously announced, Albuquerque’s Holm (34-3, nine KOs) for the second time will challenge Han (12-0, three KOs) for the El Pasoan’s WBA lightweight (135-pound) title.
Their first bout in Puerto Rico on Jan. 3 ended prematurely with an accidental clash of heads in the seventh round. Han, leading on all three official scorecards, was awarded a victory by technical decision.
All parties involved — Han, Holm and MVP — agreed a rematch was appropriate under the circumstances.
Puerto Rico’s Serrano, who without doubt eventually will join Holm in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, will defend her WBO featherweight (126-pound) title against Hanson.
The card clearly is intended as a showcase for women’s professional boxing.
Two more women’s title fights have been added to the card: Mexico’s Lourdes Juarez (39-4 five KOs) vs. Nicaragua’s Yokasta Valle (34-3, 10 KOs) for Juarez’s WBC light flyweight (108-pound) title, and Canada’s Mary Spencer (10-3, six KOs) vs. Australia’s Desley Robinson (11-3, four KOs) for Spencer’s IBF and WBO middleweight (160-pound) title belts).
Holm, 44, won multiple boxing world titles before leaving the ring in 2013 to focus full time on an MMA career, highlighted by her stunning upset victory over Ronda Rousey for the UFC bantamweight title in 2015.
She returned to boxing last June, defeating Yolanda Vega on an MVP card in Anaheim, Calif.
Han, 35, an El Paso police officer and the mother of two, is trained by Las Cruces’ Louie Burke.
Tickets are scheduled to go on sale Wednesday.
TRADING PLACES: How things have changed for Aaron Pico and Josh Hokit, teammates at Albuquerque’s Jackson-Wink MMA.
Almost exactly a year ago, Pico (13-5) signed with the UFC amid considerable hype. A wrestling near-Olympian and a former featherweight contender in the rival MMA circuit Bellator, he was fast-tracked by the UFC. He first was matched against top contender Movsar Evloev.
After Evloev withdrew due to injury, Pico made his debut against another top 10 featherweight, Lerone Murphy (16-0-1). Murphy caught Pico with a back spinning elbow, taking him out in the first round.
Hokit (8-0) a former Fresno State fullback and linebacker, earned his UFC contract via a victory by first-round KO on Dana White’s Tuesday Contender Series last Aug. 19. Two more first-round KOs later, he’s scheduled to face fifth-ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes (19-5) Saturday on the main card of UFC 327 Saturday in Miami.
A victory over Blaydes almost certain would propel Hokit into the rankings.
Pico’s on the card as well — but in a prelim fight against 13th-ranked Patricio Pitbull.
Pico is unranked.