Since losing the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title to Meisha Tate, Holly Holm has been victorious in only one of her last four fights. This weekend, she will look to redeem herself at the expense of newcomer Megan Anderson. Before the two fighters answer the bell for UFC 225 in Chicago, here are five things that define “The Preacher’s Daughter.”
One of the Best Female Boxers of All Time
Before beating Ronda Rousey, many fans only know Holm as “the former professional boxer.” Which is pretty much like saying you are a fan of boxing without knowing Sugar Ray Leonard or Mike Tyson. That’s because Holm is a three-division world titleholder whose name appears in every top 10 list of the best female boxers of all time. In 2005 and 2006, the prestigious Ring Magazine gave her the “Fighter of the Year” award. She retired in boxing with a stellar 33-2-3 record.
Passing Her First MMA Assignment With Flying Colors
In her first MMA fight on March 2011, Holm found herself as a co-headliner to teammate Keith Jardine. Right off the bat, her kickboxing prowess was on full display as she dispatched Christina Domke in the second round. Her kicks were just too much for her opponent to handle.
Head Kicks Aplenty
Before landing the now famous title-clinching head kick, Holm first introduced her kicking power to the mixed martial arts world at Legacy Fighting Championship 21. The unlucky recipient was Allanna Jones, who tasted the brutal head kick with 2:22 left in the second round. Women’s Mixed Martial Arts (WMMA) recognized it as the best knockout of 2013. In all, Holm has four head kick stoppages on her résumé. Her three other victims were Juliana Werner, Bethe Correia, and of course, Rousey.
Winning Over Rousey
Holm figured in one of the biggest upsets in all of combat sports. In front of 56,214 Australian fans, she gave the highly dominant and previously undefeated Rousey the beating of her life. Her night of superior standup culminated with a head kick that dropped the champion. The win earned her the UFC bantamweight title and “Performance of the Night” as well as “Fight of the Night” awards. She also became the first person to win major championships in boxing and MMA, a feat that is still unmatched.
Moving Up to Featherweight
Holm fought Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural UFC featherweight title at UFC 208. The native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lost by unanimous decision but in the eyes of many, she should now be known as a two-division MMA champion. The majority of fans and the media believe that de Randamie should have been penalized for throwing punches after the horn had sounded in rounds two and three. After the incident, Holm briefly went back to bantamweight but moved to featherweight again by challenging Cristiane Justino for the belt. She lost the title fight, but will attempt to get back on track with a win on Saturday.