Holly Holm will be facing the UFC champion Rhonda Rousey in the battle for the bantamweight title, which will happen in Las Vegas on January 2. Of course, chills were felt as this was announced by Holm’s manager.
Holm was a world boxing champion who has an undefeated record like the UFC champion Rousey, so this is going to be a good fight.
Actually, Holm was in awe to hear that she will be the person who’s going to face the champion, next. She was actually set to fight Sarah Kaufman in December while Rousey was set to fight Miesha Tate next.
Holm has this to say:
“It was definitely a surprise. I had already accepted a fight. I got a call Tuesday night from my manager. He said he just got off the phone with [UFC president Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta] saying that fight was off and we were getting Ronda. So it was shocking because I was already committed to another fight. Fighting for the title was the last thing on my mind.”
In 2013, Holm retired from professional boxing and gave her full focus to mixed martial arts. Her record includes nine knockouts.
Holm discussed in detail to ESPN.com, the championship battle that will take place:
“I’m one of those who asks the least amount of questions. When it comes to that, I don’t ever question what the UFC does. That’s why they run the promotion. They call me and I say, ‘OK, let’s do it.'”
“My initial reaction was, ‘I can do this, I can do this. I can make this happen. It’s just going to be a lot of work. I just need to focus on preparing myself.'”
“Yeah, I think that’s probably going to be the biggest thing. I don’t feel like people don’t necessarily believe in me, but they do feel it’s too soon. But that’s them and not [me]. There’s a reason I’m fighting for this title and they’re not. People are going to say what they want, and I don’t even blame them for feeling that way. I’m going up against the most dominant fighter. Why would they think I’m going to win? But like I said, that’s also why they’re not the ones doing it. I’m the one who has to go in and take this seriously and believe in myself.”
“My biggest thing is styles make a different fight, and this will be a fight that’s not going to be anything like what she has been in before. She has definitely proven herself in every way, not just with the armbar, which everybody always talks about. Ronda has been able to use her hands as much as her ground game. You can’t call her knockouts lucky. She has landed knees to the body and the overhand right to the temple of these girls. People ask me if she has gotten lucky. No. That’s called skill, determination, ambition. She gets in there and believes she can do it and she does. That’s the biggest thing I have to face. She’s definitely going to be tough but I have my skill, my drive, my belief in myself. I feel like I’ve put the time in.”