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The newest addition to the UFC Women's Bantamweight division, former professional boxing champion and undefeated pro MMA prospect Holly Holm recently spoke about her decision to transition from boxing to MMA, among other topics.
"Over time it became clear to me, and maybe because it is new and there is so much to learn, but I just became so much more passionate about MMA," said Holm to Kevin Iole of
Yahoo! Sports
Holm continued, "I was around boxing a long time and not just around boxing, but at a high level. I have a lot of experience in boxing against a lot of really high quality opposition. But in transitioning to MMA, there is so much to learn and I'm still on that learning curve. It feels good to go to the gym and be challenged and feel like I'm learning new things every day, but I have a lot of work to do."
As she is often forced to do, Holm spoke about Ronda Rousey, and analyzed her style, explaining some openings she has noticed when studying her fights.
"Ronda has been incredible and she's run through everyone without it being too much of a competition," Holm said. "In trying to close the gap on her, a lot of girls don't want to get too close because then she can clinch and toss you to the ground and then arm bar you in two seconds. But if you don't get close enough, you can't hit her. You have to be able to put together a game plan to get past that."
Holm continued, "If you're going to be in range, you have to be ready to deal with the clinch game. If you're going to be out, you better be working on some angles to try to strike from distance and use footwork and the cage to your advantage. I'm not saying girls haven't tried, but she's obviously just flat shut down their plans."
Holm insists that no human being is invincible, explaining why she feels there is no fighter on the planet that can't be beat.
"Nobody is impossible to beat, and I don't care who you are," she said. "I'm not just talking about Ronda Rousey. I'm talking about anybody. There are huge upsets in sports across the board and have been from the beginning of time. There are always huge upsets, and let's be honest: That's why people watch sports. It's why sports are interesting. If you always know what's going to happen, you wouldn't watch. But that's why we watch sports, because we never really know the end result."
The undefeated UFC Women's Bantamweight prospect also explains why confidence plays an important factor in her success.
"It's possible for athletes to psyche themselves out and so they don't perform as well as they're capable. For myself, I focus on believing in myself and believing I've done everything I can do to be ready and that I haven't cut corners. My mindset is to do what I have to do and that when I get in there, I know I've put in all the work and I believe I can win."
So just how passionate about the sport is Holm, the woman who hung up the boxing gloves and guaranteed success in sports to take on a new challenge with MMA? The female boxer who holds a victory over Christy Martin -- arguably the biggest name in women's boxing on the planet -- reveals that she turned down one of the biggest paydays in the history of her career by making the choice to switch to MMA.
"I just am so passionate for MMA, and I believe in focusing on what I'm passionate about," she said. "I turned down one of my biggest paydays in boxing after I'd turned over to MMA full-time. When they offered me this huge amount of money, I didn't want to be bought out. I didn't want to take the fight just for the money, because I said I'd never do that. I really want to do what my heart is set on, and I've fallen in love with MMA. I am loving this life and I'm loving this challenge of being a better fighter every day. It's that challenge that motivates me and keeps me going."
Known as "The Preacher's Daughter," Holm makes her UFC debut against Raquel Pennington at UFC 181 on December 6, 2014 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
H/T:
Yahoo! Sports
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