Ahead of her return at Bellator London, Kickboxing world champion, Denise Kielholtz, has moved to Team Schrijber to round out her MMA game.
Despite losing her last Bellator MMA outing, Denise Kielholtz (2-2), signed a new promotional deal with the company back in February. The first fight on that new contract sees the Bellator Kickboxing flyweight champion return to the MMA cage against promotional newcomer, Bryony Tyrell (4-3-1), at the SSE Arena in London, England on Saturday, June 22nd. She is looking to follow in the steps of stars such as Israel Adesanya, Alistair Overeem and Stephen Thompson who were all capable of making the successful transition from kickboxing to mixed martial arts.
Kielholtz last competed at Bellator 205 last September when she took on recent flyweight title challenger, Veta Arteaga, where she was aiming to go 3-0 in the promotion and claim her biggest victory yet in MMA. Early on in the fight, Kielholtz displayed some great striking as she used fast and accurate hands to get the better of her opponent on the feet. However, during the second round she decided to move away from her striking which was proving successful to initiate a grappling exchange. She attempted to take Arteaga down against the cage before getting stuck in a guillotine choke and being forced to tap. While Arteaga moved onto a title shot, Kielholtz was left to reflect on her performance and think about what could have been if she hadn’t strayed from her gameplan.
“I knew that if I won that fight, I would go on to challenge for the title so I knew the bout was very important,” said Kielholtz. “In the first round, I just let it flow and I felt confident as everything was going to plan. I for sure felt that I was winning but then I got too confident and went for the takedown which was a big mistake. There was really no need to go for it as I was being successful in the standup so I regret that. However, I believe that the universe gave me a sign in that fight that I have to work harder and make changes to evolve my game. Although I regret this mistake every single day, it has made me so much stronger. In reality, I wasn’t ready for a title shot until I made those changes which I have done now. I now feel so much more confident in every aspect of MMA so I look at that fight as a lesson. It ensured that my performance in this next fight will be much better.”
After being a world class kickboxer for so many years, it was always going to take time for the 30-year-old’s grappling game to reach the level of a top ranked mixed martial artist so this was always going to be an area that potential opponents would aim to exploit. Both of Kielholtz’s losses in MMA have come by submission so she knows the chinks in her armour that she needs to address. However, grappling and the ground game isn’t totally foreign to the Dutch striker, as she received a black belt in Judo when she was younger. Kielholtz sought the help of former Dutch MMA fighter, Bob Schrijber, for this camp who she thinks may be the final missing piece of the puzzle.
“I love the jiu-jitsu game and wrestling that comes with it on the ground,” explained Kielholtz. “I really enjoy it due to the links in my past with judo so it isn’t something that I’m not used to. Now I have a head coach on the ground, Bob Schrijber, and I also train at Team Schrijber. I’m really happy that I made that decision because he is a great coach and brings the best out of me. He’s really honest and says what he thinks. It was such a good decision to move to his team as he is the reason why my ground game has improved so much.”
The foundations of MMA were built upon single discipline fighters testing their skills against other combatants and although many of this generations competitors began training in MMA, there are still specialists in one martial art who are making the move over to the ultimate testing ground. Kielholtz captured numerous world titles in kickboxing promotions around the world and believed that she had reached the summit in that sport. Moving to MMA gave her the chance to go back to her roots and recapture the same hunger that she hadn’t felt for many years.
“It was always a dream to make the transition from kickboxing to MMA as in kickboxing I have been a champion for six years now,” stated Kielholtz. “Any opponent all around the world I had already beaten and in every organisation I was a champion. I didn’t have any more goals to achieve there and despite what people think, my background really is in Judo. For me it was just a bigger step to make the transition to MMA. I’m really happy that I did and I’m so blessed that I’m in an organisation that has kickboxing and MMA. Bellator have made my dreams come true.”
“The striking in MMA is totally different to kickboxing,” discussed Kielholtz. “Of course I have the advantage that I am a kickboxing champion and I am really confident on my feet but it is so different to strike in MMA. Your stance is much lower and you can’t throw such a wide variety of combinations so everything is different. I really believe that in this division at Bellator nobody is better on their feet than me!”
Another former kickboxer who successfully made the transition to MMA is current UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, who is coming off of a devastating head kick knockout against Jessica Eye last weekend. Kielholtz, who is also known as ‘Miss Dynamite,’ takes inspiration from Shevchenko’s journey as it shows that it is possible to reach the top of the ladder in both sports.
“I know Valentina from kickboxing although she did fight a little bit heavier than me,” said Kielholtz. “When she was kickboxing, I thought she was a beast so she is a great example of how kickboxers can become MMA champions. I don’t see any of the current flyweights in the UFC beating her for the next few years. She will stay the champion for a long time. Last weeks knockout was sick but it made you see the big difference between a high level kickboxer and Jessica Eye. I have lots of respect for Jessica but she wasn’t at the level of Valentina and that’s what you saw in that fight.”
Kielholtz has not defended her Bellator Kickboxing world title since April 2017 but there has been no talk of the promotion stripping her of the belt. As a matter of fact, there have been no Bellator Kickboxing cards so far this year which is the first time that has happened since the inaugural event in 2016. There is, however, a show planned later this year in October from Italy which will be used to showcase Europe’s most elite standup fighters, although Kielholtz isn’t sure if she will feature on that card. She wouldn’t be opposed to moving back to kickboxing to defend her title but feels as though she is just getting to grips to life inside the cage.
“It’s now up to Bellator whether I continue competing in kickboxing,” explained Kielholtz. “If they want to see me defend my belt that’s okay or if they want to see me in another MMA fight that’s also okay. To be honest, I would prefer to only focus on MMA because I am now in the routine and rhythm of specific MMA training. If someone is next in line and wants to take my title, I will be there 100% ready in the kickboxing ring. However, for now, I am only focused on MMA and getting closer to a title shot.”
Due to the relatively short distance between Holland and the UK, Kielholtz is expecting a lot of Dutch support in the SSE Arena on Saturday night. She even went as far as saying that she believes 60% of the crowd will be from her homeland because of the significant Dutch contingent on the card including Gegard Mousasi, Melvin Manhoef and Costello van Steenis. They will all be cheering her on when she stands opposite Bryony Tyrell during the evening’s preliminary card which can be viewed live on the Bellator App in the UK at 4:30pm BST. Tyrell is making her promotional debut and has faced UFC flyweight Molly McCann for the Cage Warriors title in the past. ‘Miss Dynamite’ believes that fans should expect an explosive performance that could well finish with a bang as she searches for her first knockout win in MMA.
“I have watched some of Bryony Tyrell’s fight videos and I think that she is tough,” said Kielholtz. “She can take punches well but she really wants to go to the ground. I have worked so hard on defending takedowns so I see Bryony as another test and another step closer to the title shot. With my new team, I feel very strong and really mentally focused. I’m very confident I’ll get the win and my aim is to finish this fight. Everyone will see the best version of myself yet!”