Holm is frustrated that she underperformed against Kayla Harrison at UFC 300, but insists she’s still got a lot of gas left in the tank.
Holly Holm is still not happy about how her UFC 300 fight against Kayla Harrison went.
Harrison handled the former women’s bantamweight champion with relative ease, taking Holm down and submitting her in the second round (watch the finish here). As if that wasn’t bad enough, UFC CEO Dana White gave her the proverbial kiss of death at the post-fight presser, declaring “I would love to see Holly retire,” when asked about her performance.
Holm is 5-6-1 since losing the 135 pound belt to Miesha Tate in 2016, and she looked a step behind throughout her last two fights. Time comes for all fighters, and at 42 it’s possible we’ve seen the best of “The Preacher’s Daughter.” But Holm is determined to prove her doubters wrong.
“I’m pissed off,” she said to MMA Junkie during the UFC fan expo. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep over it because I just know I’m capable of more than what I performed. That’s just how it goes. You can’t go back and change it. You gotta suck it up, own it, and keep grinding, and move forward.”
“I think what’s super frustrating is I had a great camp, no injuries. I was healthy, great training partners, great coaching, and I’m the one that let everyone down. I’m the one that didn’t go in there and letting everyone down including myself, you know. So, yeah, it’s frustrating.”
Holm has three fights left on her current contract, and it’s unlikely that the UFC would drop her or stop giving her fights just yet. But it’s never good when the boss urges you to hang ‘em up. How did Holly react to Dana White’s public rebuke?
“I’m just training because that’s all I can do,” she said. “Take it one day at a time, you know? Tomorrow’s never promised, in life or in sport. So I’m just training, and I always choose to be positive and driven in my life, and we’ll just see what tomorrow brings.”
“I’m ready to go whenever. I definitely am not ready to be done fighting. I know I’m still healthy and capable. I’m just mad that I haven’t performed.”