Holm: I can’t lose vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Holly Holm ended Ronda Rousey’s title defense streak on 15 November 2015 at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Then Holm lost the title to Miesha Tate, and Tate lost to Amanda Nunes. The division is in flux, and Holm has only a single loss on her record. However, if she loses on Saturday to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on FOX 20, she’s on a two-fight losing streak, which puts her a ways from a title shot.

If I don’t win here, then what opportunities are going to be there? I don’t know, said Holm to MMAjunkie at the open workout. I need to make sure I get through this weekend and do a good showing this weekend first.

My dad always says, ‘Never be afraid to be alone with your own thoughts.’ Sometimes I do. I just needed to sit down, ‘Why did I lose this fight? What do I need to fix?’ Not that I hadn’t been working on trip defense, not that I hadn’t been working on my grappling, but obviously that I need to have quicker reactions with that. Just put in some hard work.

I do feel like I can’t lose. It’s a pressure and I use it as a positive way I guess, but I’m hoping I’m going to keep that true that it’s not going to be two losses in a row. Anything can happen when you’re in there. I just like to be honest with myself. You get in there and you don’t know what can happen in a fight, but I’ve been training hard and I just need to make the performance happen.

She’s got a ton of Muay Thai background, and let me tell you, those Muay Thai fighters are tough as nails. She’s been through battles before. She’s been through hard fights and she’s very mentally strong, very physically strong. I feel like that just makes for a tough opponent. This is definitely a different style than my previous fights have been, so I really just want to take one second of every minute at a time.