In the world of women’s MMA, no one broke through in 2015 as suddenly or emphatically as former boxing champion and two-time Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, Holly Holm.
On November 14, 2015, The Preacher’s Daughter entered her fight with the then queen of women’s MMA, Ronda Rousey, at well beyond a ten to one underdog, despite having been previously undefeated in her first nine professional mixed martial arts fights. After keeping Rousey on the end of her punches and kicks for the first round, Holm spent the first few moments of round two dealing with a Rowdy Ronda who had seemed to have doubled-up on her aggression. It all came crashing down for Ronda, and life changed forever for Holm, with a now famous left head kick that will remain etched in the minds of MMA fans for the foreseeable future.
With Rousey taking time to recover both physically and psychologically from the punishment dealt out by Holm, as well as likely film a couple movies, Holm is now slated to face former Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion Miesha Cupcake Tate at UFC 197 in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 5, 2016.
Riding a four fight winning streak, with her most recent victories coming over bantamweight contenders Jessica Eye and Sara McMann, Miesha Tate seeks to not only take home the UFC women’s bantamweight title with a win over Holm, but also hopes a win will earn her a third fight with Ronda Rousey, who defeated her in her first two attempts at UFC gold.
Jeff Warsaw is the former executive editor of Long Island MMA Magazine, professional combat sports public address announcer for several NY/NJ MMA and kickboxing promotions, and a proud one-stripe white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the famed Joe D’Arce. He is currently a musician, coffee enthusiast and host of the Stranger In A Strange Land podcast on YouTube.
