Exclusive: Holly Holm talks about fighting Ronda, coming to India, more

Ronda Rousey takes on Holly Holm in one of the most anticipated bouts in recent memory

Ronda Rousey has bulldozed her way through her opponents in the past, and this coming weekend, she will take on a formidable opponent in Holly Holm.

Holly is a former boxing world champion and is very much aware of Ronda’s accomplishments, and how easily Ronda has managed to beat her previous opponents.

Holly would look to dethrone Ronda in Australia – Holly’s backyard. Leading up to the fight, both the fighters had only good things to say about each other, and during the Ultimate Media Day, I caught up with Holly for an exclusive interview.

While leading up to the fight, you’ve been an underdog. While some people embrace that role, how have you seen the lead up to the fight so far?

I just look at her (Ronda) as a fighter, and not as the most dominant (fighter), or all of her awards or accomplishments. I am very aware of them, because I think you have to be very aware of your opponent’s capabilities, but I also know that I am very capable as well.

I don’t just want to put her so high on a pedestal that it is unobtainable. I want to feel very competitive with that, because I know how good I am, and there’s only one way to take a fight, and that is with every intention of coming out with a win. Otherwise why are we even doing this? So, I try to keep this as simple as possible.

A lot of the talk has been surrounding your takedown defense, and how you can negate Ronda’s technical superiority in grappling. What has been your toughest aspect as such during your training camp?

You know, there’s her judo game, her clinch game, her ground game, there’s all that. All of her trips and her tosses, so yeah, she’s got a lot. She’s not a one-dimensional fighter. She has a lot of aspects to her game that causes problems.

I think the biggest and the hardest thing is keeping the balance. I don’t want to get involved with judo and not working on my Jiu-Jitsu, and I don’t want to work on my Jiu Jitsu and not work on my stand up.

So I don’t want to just survive and fight, I want to do lots. So I want to get better at what I do well, and I want to defend what she does well. So, the hardest part I think is just that balance.

How has been your transition from boxing to MMA?

It’s been great so far. I love it, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. There’s still a lot more to learn, lot more to prove and lot more to do. It’s been a hell of a ride, and I love it.

Do you have any message for your fans in India?

Just such a sincere appreciation for them. I love that I can touch peoples’ lives outside of just where I live, and I’m just appreciative for the fans I have there.

And what about coming to India?

I’ve never been there, but I’d love to come to India.

You can catch UFC 193 this Sunday, live and exclusively on Sony SIX and Sony KIX at 8:30 AM. We will also cover the event live from Melbourne, Australia.