Mike Winkeljohn, striking coach to current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, knows the threats Miesha Tate will present for his pupil when the two collide at UFC 196 on Sat., March 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
From her experience, wrestling, and all the way to her “never give up” attitude, “Cupcake” has put the Holm camp on high alert in the lead up to their much-anticipated title fight in “Sin City.”
Which is why Winkeljohn recently declared on The MMA Hour that Tate’s all-around talent makes her a “scary” threat.
“Oh yeah. You know, she’s number one for a reason. She’s been around for a long time and she’s pretty darn good everywhere. She hits hard; she’s tapping people out,” he said (via MMA Fighting).
“Her wrestling is very good. You see that she’s beaten jiu-jitsu people, she’s beaten wrestlers and she’s beaten strikers so she’s very good at what she does. Just the no give up attitude,” he said. “How many fights has she been losing and she comes back? She’s as tough as they come. She’s a competitor at the highest level with skills, so that’s always scary.”
That said, Winkeljohn didn’t hold back when making his prediction for the fight, as he says Holly will be just as dominant against Miesha as she was during her second-round knockout over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 last November.
Speaking of second rounds, “Wink” predicted that his champion would put “Cupcake” to sleep in round number two, as well.
“Second round KO for Holly Holm,” Winkeljohn said. “Yeah a lot like it; just as dominant.”
To learn more about the upcoming women’s 135-pound title bout — which will serve as co-main event to Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz — click here.