When Ronda Rousey appeared on Good Morning America and announced that she would be facing Holly Holm at UFC 195, the boxer-turned-mixed-martial-artist suddenly became one of the biggest names in MMA. That’s a shame, though, because “the Preacher’s Daughter” has long been one of the most interesting fighters in the sport.
One of the primary talking points in the decade-long “MMA vs. Boxing” debate has been the discussion of how various high-level MMA fighters would hold up in boxing, and vice versa. While MMA fans like to believe that they’re on the winning end of that argument, with past-their-prime boxers like James Toney, Jessica Rakoczy and Ricardo Mayorga all having less-than-successful cagefighting careers, the reality of striking in MMA is, well, quite bleak.
Knockout artists like Anderson Silva and Junior dos Santos have long believed they could take on top boxers. The reality, however, is that the staggering majority of fighters would be chewed up in the ring. That is where Holm truly stands out.
Holm is a legitimate, high-level boxer today. She is not trying to draw out her combat sports career with freakshow fights. She is not an old horse looking to drag out its career for a little bit longer. Holm could put on her 10-ounce gloves and return to the ring right now and still get wins over names. She arguably owns one of the greatest striking pedigrees in MMA today and that gives her a unique set of skills which set her apart from the rest of the women’s bantamweight division.
The staggering majority of 135-pound women in the UFC come from a grappling background, which forces them into directly competing with Rousey’s world-class Judo game. Holm, however, is at her best when she has space to work, and will be able to consistently force Rousey to fight her way into the clinch. Just as importantly, Holm actually has an ability to maintain distance and use footwork to keep herself out of harm’s way.
Fighters like Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano rely on their wrestling, which puts them into a position where they can easily be thrown and/or armbarred. Holm, on the other hand, can stay back, flick her lead hand and circle away from Rousey’s offense.
Another major difference between Holm and Rousey’s past opponents is Holm’s strong MMA camp. Many challengers have entered the cage under-prepared, and failed to adjust for Rousey’s less-than-diverse (though obviously effective) attack.
As for Holm? She’s training at the famed Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA, home to a slew of top-notch contenders and notable past and present champions like Jon Jones, Vitaly Minakov and Carlos Condit. The coaching there is second-to-none, and their willingness to pour over tape and craft a perfect gameplan has proven to be the difference in many fights.
While Holm isn’t necessarily the on-paper top contender, she is by far the most interesting opponent for Rousey. Her legitimate striking skills, alongside the smarts and preparation of her team, put her in prime position to push the champ to her limits. Maybe, just maybe, they put her in position to take the strap.
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