Save your theories as to why the UFC chose Holly Holm to be Ronda Rousey’s next opponent. Holm isn’t too interested in them.
“Maybe it’s one of those things where they just want to test me out, kind of throw me out there,” Holm said Friday on FOX Sports 1’s America’s Pregame. “Maybe it’s because they really feel I’m ready. I don’t really care too much of the why. I just want to make the best of the situation.”
On Friday, Rousey announced on Good Morning America that she would be taking on Holm in the main event of UFC 195 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas. Previously, the UFC and Rousey implied Miesha Tate would be the next in line. UFC president Dana White told the Los Angeles Times that Holm was the “more intriguing” matchup, because Rousey has already beaten Tate twice.
Holm, a former three-division boxing champion and Ring female boxer of the year, said she believes that facing her is a chance for Rousey to prove her wares as a feared striker. Rousey (12-0), a former Olympic bronze medalist in judo, beat Bethe Correia via knockout in 34 seconds at UFC 190 earlier this month, but Holm is a far more accomplished standup fighter.
“I think she knows that in beating me that even says more about her stand up,” Holm said. “For a long time so many people were always just talking about her armbar. I think that she wanted to prove to them she has more than that, which she has done just that. So this is a big opportunity for her to really show people what she’s made of.”
It’s also an opportunity for Holm (9-0). The New Mexico native is 2-0 in the UFC without a true signature performance. She did beat ranked fighter Marion Reneau by unanimous decision in one-sided fashion last month, but she’s still searching for her first finish in the Octagon. Holm, 33, competed on the regional scene before the UFC and never fought legitimate competition.
Still, Holm is a former boxing champion coming out of a high-level training camp (Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA) with a mind for fighting and substantial athletic ability. “The Preacher’s Daughter” does not plan on succumbing to Rousey in under a minute like previous opponents — or losing at all.
“First of all, I’m gonna learn from all the other mistakes,” Holm said. “Every fighter has their own style and every style makes a different matchup. We’re gonna go in there with a game plan, but I always leave a little room for adjustments, because you never know how a fight is gonna go. My biggest thing is to just to stay focused the whole time. It’s easy to just kind of say, ‘Oh, we’re here, let’s just go’ and go forward with any kind of thinking. It’s a big mental game in there. I plan on being very composed.”