Holm coach: Everybody has a plan until …
Mike Winkeljohn: “Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the head. I think Holly Holm hit Ronda Rousey a little bit and took her out of her thought process.”
#ANDNEWwomenn’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm shocked the world, but not her coach Mike Winkeljohn. He has worked with her for 16 years.
It’s a good group of guys and ladies at our gym that work together and help each other out, and I think that’s what it’s all about – putting together a good game plan and looking for the strengths and weaknesses that both fighters have, said the coach to Steven Marrocco for MMAjunkie after the win.
Mike Tyson famously said everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face. But much of what the team planned actually happened.
A few things different, but quite a bit of it played out, said Winkeljohn. In fact, a lot of it. It’s all about how fast is Ronda coming, or is she stopping, is she going to try to cut off the cage? We had to have an answer for everything.
The coach turned the saying around, and said it is what happened to Rousey.
Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the head, he said. I think Holly hit her a little bit and took her out of her thought process, and then people just don’t know how strong Holly is. We haven’t shown that card; we still haven’t shown a lot of Holly’s cards. And it played out where Holly could dominate.
So was Holm underestimated?
They probably did a little bit,” he said. “But I think Ronda, she was the best in the world for a reason. She’s determined to win, and her striking has gotten better.
She’s got some good people who have helped her out. But if they overlooked what Holly can do, no one will again in the future. That’s for sure.
It’s probably one of the biggest upsets ever in sports history. This is the biggest one. We’ve won world titles with Jon Jones and Rashad Evans knocking out Chuck Liddell, but this far surpasses it.
