Holly Holm
didn’t start off as a mixed martial artist; she transitioned
from being a world-class boxer to take on a new challenge. But,
ever since she shocked the world and defeated the notorious
Ronda Rousey in front of a record-breaking crowd at UFC 193,
Holm’s mixed martial arts career has been on a downward spiral.
Having lost three fights in a row and now sitting with a 10-3-0
record, Holm needs a win to get back on track.
The
Albuquerque-native achieved a mighty
33-2-3 record with nine knockouts, forged by fighting so
many top names across three different divisions – light
welterweight, welterweight, light middleweight. As ‘The
Preacher’s Daughter’ approached the end of her boxing career,
she defeated three-title holder Anne Sophie Mathis by a
unanimous decision. Holm managed to avenge her earlier knockout
loss at the hands of Mathis, who had 21 knockouts in 26
professional fights by the time the second fight rolled around.
With two
more fights after the huge win against Mathis, Holly Holm ended
with an impressive record and rated as one of the best of
women’s boxing of all-time. The one disappointment of her boxing
career was that a fight with Cecilia Braekhus never materialised.
Fresquez Productions, Holm's
promoter, said that the potential fight
received the green light, but that Braekhus “ducked” the
bout.
Working her way through
promotions such as Fresquez, Bellator MMA, and Legacy Fighting
Championship, Holly Holm amassed a 7-0-0 record with six coming
by way of knockout by the time the UFC came knocking. She made
her UFC debut on February 28, at UFC 184, on the undercard of
the Ronda Rousey vs Cat Zingano contest, defeating Raquel
Pennington by split decision. Just five months later, Holm took
on Marion Reneau at UFC Fight Night 71 and won by unanimous
decision.
Then, in November 2015, she took on the reigning tyrant of
women’s MMA, Ronda Rousey. By this point, Holm was quite highly
rated but wasn't on the same level as Rousey. Holm came in as
the underdog but left as the woman who ended the champion’s
three-year undefeated run by way of knockout, becoming the first
person to win championships in both boxing and MMA. After that,
however, it all went a bit downhill.
Holm’s crumbling MMA record
Holly Holm went on
to lose three fights in a row. She lost her title in her first
defence to Miesha Tate, then Valentina Shevchenko claimed Holm’s
second loss by unanimous decision, but Holm knew that she simply
“didn’t perform well.” Her latest loss, to Germaine de Randamie,
was a very controversial one. Twice after the bell, De Randamine
hit Holm, and yet the referee didn’t deduct a single point. The
fight went the distance, and De Randamie won by unanimous
decision, but by only one point on each of the judges’ cards,
per MMA Decisions. 14 of the 23 media outlets also scored it as
a Holm victory.
On to Holly Holm
vs Bethe Correia
At
UFC Fight Night 111, Holly Holm will seek to get her MMA career
back on track against Bethe Correia in Singapore. Given the style of both Holm and ‘Pitbull’,
this looks to be a battle that mainly showcases each fighter’s
boxing ability. Both prefer the stand-up striking style, with
Correia having a strike success rate of 47 percent from 837
thrown, and Holm having a 35 percent success rate from 976, per
UFC. Neither goes for grappling really, only boasting
five successful takedowns between them
in 26 fights combined.
When it
comes to boxing, Holm has got this fight nailed down, her head
jabs, epic combinations, and willingness to wait for the
opportunity to counter put her up if this turns into a bout of
fist strikes. Correia also opts to box, enforcing counters and
combinations often, but she’s also very aggressive. The
Brazilian likes to cut off the cage, close in on her opponent,
and sometimes pull out spinning back fists. Correia’s a feisty
opponent and should be able to trouble Holm, but when it comes
down to it, the American former boxing world champion should be
able to outclass Correia with an accomplished performance.