Multi-time boxing champion Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm returns to MMA on February 28th at Bellator 91 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Holm is in talks to face Massachusetts native Katie Merrill in a bantamweight bout on the event’s preliminary card. Bout agreements have not yet been signed.

MMARising.con confirmed plans for the potential fight with sources close to the negotiations following a report from 101.7 The Team on Thursday. Both fighters bring undefeated records into their respective Bellator debuts and each will be competing in mixed martial arts for the first time since 2011.

Holm (2-0-0 MMA; 32-2-3 Boxing), long regarded as one of the top female boxers in the world, made the transition to mixed martial arts competition in March 2011 and scored a second-round TKO victory over Christina “Machine Gun” Domke with a series of leg kicks. She returned to MMA six months later to face one-time Strikeforce title challenger Jan “Cuddles” Finney and dominated Finney on the feet before finishing the fight with a vicious kick to the body midway through the third round.

Since the 2011 bout with Finney, Holm has remained active in her boxing career, but a lack of available opponents and credible challengers in boxing has prompted Holm to return to MMA in search of a more consistent fighting schedule.

Merrill (1-0-0) may been seen as an underdog against Holm, but she has thus far looked impressive in each of her MMA bouts and will look to pick up her biggest victory to date later this month. Following a pair of first-round stoppage wins in amateur competition, Merrill transitioned to the professional ranks in November 2011 for a rematch against heavy-handed Kaline Medeiros. The result was a second-round submission triumph for Merrill, and the talented Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner should have an advantage in the grappling department if she is able to get Holm down to the mat.

Bellator 91 takes place on February 28th at Santa Ana Star Casino in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The planned bout between Holm and Merrill would likely serve as the featured fight on the preliminary portion of the card and Merrill will be moving up in weight from her previous home in the flyweight division.

(Photo Credit: Life.com)