UFC Singapore preview: 3 former champs search for redemption

To put the stunning descent of Holly Holm into context, simply state the facts of her upcoming bout.

"The Preacher's Daughter" meets Bethe Correia in the main event of a Fight Pass-exclusive card that takes place in Singapore and will air live on Saturday morning in North America. That's a far cry from Holm's titanic clash with Ronda Rousey just 19 months ago, which saw the former boxing champion become a household name when she knocked out Rousey to become the top female fighter in the world at 135 pounds.

Suddenly, it was Holm receiving the Rousey treatment: walking the red carpet while doing interviews with entertainment shows, showing Kelly Ripa how to beat up Michael Strahan, and being widely billed as the next major MMA star.

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Then, just as suddenly, it all came crashing down.

In her first title defense the following March, Holm was the victim of a fifth-round submission at the hands of veteran Miesha Tate. Making the loss even worse was that Holm looked to be headed toward a decision win or a draw - she would have remained champion with either result. Instead, she was dethroned in dramatic fashion.

Even after that setback and UFC president Dana White's criticism that she should have waited for a Rousey rematch rather than risk taking on another dangerous opponent, there was still the sense that Holm wasn't far off from earning a chance to win her belt back. But in July, she got another tough draw in Valentina Shevchenko.

Like Holm, Shevchenko came into the UFC with a decorated background in another striking discipline - in her case, kickboxing - and she proved to be far more than a tune-up fight. "Bullet" out-struck Holm for five rounds to put the latter on the first losing streak of her 14-year combat sports career.

For whatever reason, it was decided that Holm still had enough star power to deserve a shot at the UFC's inaugural women's featherweight belt, but the result couldn't have gone worse. Holm dropped a dull unanimous decision to Germaine de Randamie, and the event was a dud from both a pay-per-view sales and critical standpoint.

So that's how she got here. From headlining UFC 193 in Australia with Rousey in front of a company-record 56,000 fans and over 1 million PPV buyers, to a UFC Fight Night 111 card that will probably be competing for eyeballs with a weekend rerun of "The Shawshank Redemption."

Winning solves everything, and if Holm gets past Correia - as she's expected to - then it reopens the door to getting back into the 135-lb contenders' circle, or rematching De Randamie, or even taking on Cris Cyborg.

But if she's tripped up again, then we'll look back at Holm's win over Rousey as the beginning of her end.

Related - UFC Singapore predictions: Can Holm snap her skid?

Arlovski on the brink

Holm isn't the only veteran from the Jackson-Wink camp who may have to deal with the writing on the wall.

In Saturday's co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski looks to snap a four-fight skid when he takes on Marcin Tybura. To put things in perspective, the 38-year-old Arlovski had already won and lost his UFC championship by the time Tybura made his professional MMA debut in 2011.

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Holm's losing streak is rosy compared to the brutal defeats Arlovski has suffered in his past four bouts, all of which ended with him being knocked out or submitted. That included a 54-second KO at the hands of Stipe Miocic to start the skid, and a 92-second TKO in his most recent outing against Francis Ngannou.

Arlovski has beaten the odds before, memorably fending off retirement talk following a similar stretch of futility from 2009-11. He began training exclusively with the Jackson-Wink team in Albuquerque, N.M., and made an improbable UFC comeback in 2014, returning to the top-10 rankings where he currently sits in the No. 8 spot.

When he steps into the cage against Tybura, Arlovski could be one good shot away from either turning things around or finally laying his hands to rest.

Dos Anjos goes from one shark tank to another

There are fewer tricks in the struggling fighter's handbook more effective than changing weight classes. Whether it's a move up to avoid the grueling cuts that can leave a competitor drained on fight night, or a move down to what's perceived to be one's ideal size, a change can provide significant repairs to a bruised ego.

How else to explain Rafael dos Anjos making the move from lightweight to welterweight?

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The 32-year-old Brazilian won 10-of-11 fights at 155 pounds and captured a UFC title before dropping his last two bouts to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson. Those discouraging losses were enough to convince him that he should start again at 170 pounds.

There are no guarantees that Dos Anjos will excel at welterweight, but his skills are world class and his UFC Fight Night 111 adversary, Tarec Saffiedine, is certainly beatable. Dos Anjos should end his losing streak on Saturday.

But at some point, Dos Anjos will run into one of the division's larger fighters, at which point he'll find out the hard way whether the change in scenery was worth it.