Holm relishes challenge against Rousey
There was a time when Holly Holm would have to rely on one of her friends calling with news of her next fight that had been posted on a blog or social media.
Her phone must have been ringing off the hook Friday morning.
Ronda Rousey, the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champion, announced on “Good Morning America” that she will fight Holm in the main event of UFC 195 on Jan. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden.
“It was funny. A lot of times I would get a call like, ‘Hey, I saw you’re fighting this person,'” Holm recalled. “I would just say, ‘Yeah, I told them I’d fight whoever, so I guess that’s who I’m fighting.’ It’s always kind of been a joke with my friends that I have to find out about my life through them.”
Holm, a former professional boxing champion with a 9-0 record in mixed martial arts, including two UFC victories, didn’t hear about this fight much before the rest of the world.
She had agreed to fight one of her teammates, Sarah Kaufman, in December and was dealing with mixed feelings about fighting a friend. Plans changed when she got a call asking if she would be interested in fighting Rousey for the belt.
Holm, 33, jumped at the opportunity.
“This is not something I thought was coming, knew was coming, nothing,” Holm said. “It was definitely a surprise. It wasn’t anything I was even thinking. I had heard the same as everyone else that Miesha Tate was getting the fight, but even if Ronda was going to fight anyone else, I didn’t think it was going to be me. I’m excited. I anticipated getting this phone call one day and feeling overwhelmed and anxious, but I didn’t really feel like that at all. I just felt like, ‘Awesome, let’s do this.'”
Holm’s opportunity comes at the expense of Tate. The Las Vegan has lost twice against Rousey, but she had been announced by UFC president Dana White as the champion’s next opponent after Tate won her fourth straight fight in July.
“I am extremely disappointed how all the events unfolded this morning regarding news that I will not be fighting Ronda Rousey. I was told after my last win that I had earned the title shot,” Tate posted on Instagram. “I’ve already begun training for Rousey, and I was shocked to hear the announcement this morning. I regret this for not only myself, but my team, sponsors and the fans who like me believed my next fight was for the title.”
White said it was a matter of finding a new challenge for Rousey.
“We were talking about Miesha from the start, then as we started sitting around, we were saying, ‘Everyone has seen the Miesha fight already,'” White told the Los Angeles Times. “A third fight in a rivalry usually comes after the stuff we’d see in (Arturo) Gatti-(Micky) Ward.
“With Miesha, the result has been the same twice. Everyone’s already seen that fight.”
Holm gets the title shot after two decision victories in the UFC. She entered the organization with considerable hype because of her superior boxing ability at a time Rousey’s striking was considered a work in progress.
Rousey, however, has won three of her past four fights by knockout. Holm was underwhelming in her UFC debut, a split decision over Raquel Pennington on Feb. 28. Holm controlled Marion Reneau in July, but failed to secure a finish before settling for a unanimous decision.
All of that has dampened the enthusiasm on Holm’s chances against Rousey, who has opened as more than a 10-1 favorite at online sports books.
That’s just fine with Holm.
“It doesn’t matter either way,” she said. “I’m the one that has to go to the gym. I’m the one that has to put in the hours of hard work. It really didn’t matter when people said I was going to be the one to beat her, and it really doesn’t matter now that you have people saying I’m going to get steamrolled like everyone else.
“Because at the end of the day, I’m going to be positive with myself. That’s how I’ve always felt. It doesn’t matter what’s been said by anybody.”
Rousey pointed out on “Good Morning America” that Holm was the Ring Magazine Female Fighter of the Year in 2005 and 2006.
“She is definitely my biggest challenge to date, so I’m super excited about it,” said Rousey, calling Holm the most decorated striker in mixed martial arts.
Those credentials contributed to the hype that surrounded Holm’s UFC debut, but the Albuquerque, N.M., native preached caution from the day she signed the contract. Holm wanted to make sure she established herself in the UFC before pushing too hard for a fight against Rousey. There was not a second thought when the call came Tuesday.
“I feel like anybody in this sport that’s not ready to jump at this challenge probably shouldn’t be in this sport to begin with,” Holm said. “I want to take the challenge, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
* NOTE — Las Vegan Kevin Lee will fight Leonardo Santos in a lightweight matchup at UFC 194 on Dec. 12 at the MGM Grand, sources close to the organization confirmed.
The event is expected to be one of the biggest pay-per-view cards in UFC history. Lee has won four straight fights since suffering the only loss of his career to Al Iaquinta in his UFC debut.
Lee is coming off a first-round submission of James Moontasri in July.
UFC 194 is headlined by a featherweight unification title bout between champion Jose Aldo and interim champ Conor McGregor. Also, middleweight champion Chris Weidman will defend his title against Luke Rockhold.
— Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him: @adamhilllvrj
