When Holly Holm (9-0) was announced as the next opponent for women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, there was some backlash. Holm is a decorated boxing champ, but few believe she is ready to step into the octagon against arguably the most dominant overall athlete in the world.
Don't tell Holm to be afraid though, because she does not think this opportunity was rushed.
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"Did it come sooner than we would think? That's not a lie to say yeah, it came soon, but I'm really excited for it," Holm told MMA Junkie. "There's so many girls in the division, but guess what: Even before I signed with the UFC it was like, 'Hey, when are you going to fight Ronda Rousey?' Now we've got it scheduled and can really focus on it."
Holm has two UFC fights on her resume, a split decision vs. Raquel Pennington in February, and a unanimous decision against Marion Reneau in July. In her first bout vs. Pennington, Holm struggled and she seemed to drop off the list of potential Rousey opponents, even though her debut was heavily hyped. Apparently her victory against Reneau changed minds.
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Rousey has been untouchable for her entire career, but recently her fights have been almost silly. Her last three bouts combined have lasted a total of one minute and four seconds. Once upon a time some observers viewed her as a one-trick pony who was too reliant on her famed armbar. Well, three of her last four wins have been knockouts, not submissions.
The UFC's plan here may be to try and show Rousey a completely new style that might be tricky for her to figure out, even if Holm doesn't look ready. Holm, one of the best female boxers of all-time, does not charge opponents a la Cat Zingano. Instead, Holm likes to strike accurately from the outside. If she's successful with that game plan, the hope is that she can frustrate Rousey and give the fight some length.
"I'm going up against the best fighter. They aren't calling her the most dominant female fighter. They're calling her the most dominant female athlete, and that's a lot to carry. Do I have to do everything right? Absolutely. But it's possible," Holm said.
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