UFC 193: Holly Holm takes long road to top of women's fight game
Former three-division boxing champion did all she could in first sport, moved quickly to the front of the line in new full-time occupation
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4 min read
It’s not as if Holly Holm is without street cred.
She defeated all but one foe she faced in an 11-year boxing career. She won championships in three weight classes, and she was twice named fighter of the year by Ring Magazine.
But the biggest problem for the Albuquerque native, now 34, is that being the world’s best female boxer is roughly akin to being the finest ice hockey player in all of Yemen.
Which is what brings “The Preacher’s Daughter” to Saturday night.
Holm dabbled in mixed martial arts while maintaining a ring career through summer 2013, then went to the cage full time and has since run her second vocation record to 9-0 with six knockouts. The cross-sport pedigree caught the eye of UFC boss Dana White, who signed Holm to his octagonal promotion 16 months ago and began sowing seeds for a matchup with his most lucrative commodity.
Ronda Rousey.
It was a circuitous trip, but to those who’ve been near Holm for the duration, not unexpected.
“In the times I worked with Holly, she was comfortable with her level of success and always had the faith, in her ability and in herself, that the bigger opportunities would come. And they have,” said Amy Green, who did publicity for several of her championship fights. “The switch to MMA for Holly wasn't a total surprise. She had conquered all there was to conquer in women's boxing. MMA was the next logical step. And now Ronda Rousey is in her path.”
Few other than Green, however, expect the path to continue without pain.
Holm is a prohibitive underdog according to oddsmakers, and while her MMA record is indeed pristine, her two outings since graduating to UFC have resulted in a narrow three-round split decision over Raquel Pennington in February and a slightly less narrow three-rounder over Marion Reneau in July.
“Critics are fond of saying she wasn't impressive in her MMA bouts so far, but I know her work ethic, where she has trained for her entire career,” Green said.
“Holly has the ability to think on her feet, the mental capacity to not get rattled in the heat of a fight, and she's used to fighting champions at the top of their game. Skill-wise her striking and stand up game are strong, and she is always in amazing condition. If Ronda can't get Holly off her feet, it could be a longer evening than she's accustomed to.”
Indeed, Rousey has stopped 11 of her 12 career opponents inside of one round. And the only one who extended her past the first, Miesha Tate, failed to escape the third.
“It’s been a one way street for Rousey -- straight to the winner’s circle,” said Thomas Gerbasi, editorial director of UFC.com. “Miesha Tate made it to the third round in their rematch, but there never seemed to be a moment where you thought Rousey might lose.”
Though it seems counter intuitive, a Holm upset -- which would dent the aura of a fighter labeled by Sports Illustrated as the “World’s Most Dominant Athlete” -- would also provide White and Co. with the sort of genuine competitive foil that the 28-year-old Californian doesn’t seem to have.
Rousey's longest bout since the Tate marathon lasted just a shade more than a minute, and the three since then -- against foes with a combined record of 34-5 with 19 stoppages -- have gone 16, 14 and 34 seconds, respectively.
Such supremacy, while titillating, could also eventually lead to a dead end.
And whether she goes by a blow or by boredom, the next female tier remains a question mark.
“Women's fighting took a real step back when Gina Carano left for a career in the movies,” said Jonathan Snowden, co-author of The MMA Encyclopedia. “Luckily for the sport, Rousey was there to fill the void. But when Rousey inevitably departs for her own tinsel town career, there may be no next big thing to take her place.”
Snowden, ironically, suggests that Rousey’s UFC emergence actually short-circuited what could have been a deeper women’s talent base in other organizations.
“Carano and Cyborg main-evented a successful event on Showtime and women were distinguishing themselves routinely with action-packed fights up and down the card,” he said.
“Women who are not Rousey are clearly secondary. There is little effort or thought put into building the next great fighter. Instead, UFC seems intent on identifying the most physically attractive fighters and attempting to create another Rousey.
"Right now the promotional machine is behind Paige Van Zant, a strawweight who looks like she came from a casting call for perky cheerleaders. Without a star, I think there's a real chance UFC shutters the women's side of their business permanently.”
White, though, insists Rousey’s presence has been beneficial for more than just pay-per-view numbers. The next generation, he said, is in good hands.
“She’s gone far beyond MMA. She’s inspiring a new generation of women and girls. It’s incredible how people react," White said.
"They’re empowered because of what they see her doing -- things that girls aren’t supposed to be able to do. They believe they can go out there and compete with the boys now.”
