Holly Holm has the unenviable task of being the next woman to step into the Octagon to face Ronda Rousey, and the MMA star known as the Preacher’s Daughter has insisted that while the bout at UFC 193 has come along quicker than she expected, it’s a tremendous opportunity.
“Did it come sooner than we would think? That’s not a lie to say yeah, it came soon, but I’m really excited for it,” Holm told MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn. “There’s so many girls in the division, but guess what: Even before I signed with the UFC it was like, ‘Hey, when are you going to fight Ronda Rousey?’ Now we’ve got it scheduled and can really focus on it.”
Holm will square off against Rousey on November 14 in Melbourne, Australia. She brings an MMA record of 9-0 into the bout, with two wins from two outings in the UFC. Rousey has won all 12 of her MMA fights and six out of six in the UFC.
But as noted here by BreatheSport, the manner in which Rousey has dominated her previous five fights has left many shocked:
It’s the kind of divisional supremacy which has left many pondering whether or not Holm is ready for this type of challenge. After all, she only made her debut in the UFC this year and despite winning both of her fights so far, has yet to fully convince inside the Octagon.
Holm’s professional boxing background may allow her to get a foothold in the fight that other competitors have not been able to establish. While it’s an area in which Rousey has shown marked improvement, her opponent will have the edge when it comes to striking and, as a result, may prevent the champion from moving forward quite so aggressively.
However, Eric Holden of AXS doesn’t feel as though Holm has quite enough to stave off the rest of Rousey’s awesome attributes:
Holm was bullish when quizzed on her chances, though. “I’m going up against the best fighter,” she admitted to Bohn. “They aren’t calling her the most dominant female fighter. They’re calling her the most dominant female athlete, and that’s a lot to carry. Do I have to do everything right? Absolutely. But it’s possible.”
It should definitely make for an interesting spectacle, and Rousey heading Down Under is likely to pique interest in the sport in Australia, as noted by Chamatkar Sandhu of MMAjunkie:
The majority of those turning up at the Etihad Stadium for this spectacle will be expecting to see another Rousey beatdown. But there are plenty of fans who would like to see her challenged over the course of a few rounds, and Holm, despite some sloppy efforts in the Octagon so far, may be the best-placed candidate to do so.
Rousey will be the big favourite given her stellar recent showings and Holm’s relative inexperience, but it’s about time some competitors in the women’s bantamweight division stepped up to challenge Rousey’s stranglehold on the sport. For Holm, Melbourne would be an ideal place to kick-start that process.
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