Although he doesn't grapple as much as he wants, that is the way he expects this fight to play out. He knows his pressure will be too much where he can then get the fight to the mat. Once that happens, he says, it will all be over for Ma.
"I always say I will take a win any way I can, but I see me submitting him," he explained. "I don't think he can handle my pressure. I think he fades bad in the second round and I will try and lock in a choke or submission."
The pressure Holtzman talks about is something he works on daily. He often sees fighters fade in fights which costs them a victory and their win bonus. Because of that, "Hot Sauce" says he doesn't want to be like that and throwing away money because of the ship they are in. Especially, after having a kid and buying a house.
"I work hard on my conditioning. I take pride in that, as I come in good shape. Just control what I can control and that is one of those things," he said. "I'm a pretty well-rounded athlete. I stay in the gym, even without a fight. Just my pace and cardio will be a difference maker."
Although Holtzman says he will submit Ma, he knows his opponent is a dangerous fighter. He can't take him lightly because that is how he loses. Instead, he is preparing for the very best fighter, even though Ma is coming off of a lackluster knockout loss.
Regardless, "Hot Sauce" knows this fight is huge. He can't lose two in a row, especially in a stacked lightweight division. "It is really important. I pissed the last one away because it was a winnable fight for me. I knew I would win that and get into the top-20. This one is no different. I need to win. Every fight is a must-win in the UFC. No fight is less important than the other."
In the end, Holtzman has a ton of confidence heading into this fight. He changed camps back to his old coach and knows he is just better than Ma. Should he win here, he wants to fight again before the year is up and end 2019 on a two-fight winning streak.