Holly Holm with her coaches (Photo : FACEBOOK/Holly Holm)
Former boxing champion Holly Holm brought hype with her coming at the center of the Octagon for her debut on Feb. 28 as she went against Raquel Pennington.
It was quite apparent that Pennington was looking to grapple early on. However, she was not able to do much with as both of them exchanged knee attacks before actually breaking apart.
"It's a new experience, and the unknown is there, so there's a lot of nerves with it," Holm commented after the split decision. Adding that she feels as if she could not live up to the expectations due to the hype given off by the audience. "There's so much talk and there's a lot of nerves involved."
Holm appeared to have jitters before even entering the infamous Octagon as she strode to the arena to a traditional Scottish dance tune. By the time she reached the UFC's prep point for the final instructions, it was apparent that she was shaking.
Holm was able to establish a slim lead on the first two rounds, but Pennington was not moved. She slowly cut into the lead with counterstrikes, bloodying Holm's nose, also causing her to stumble and fall to the mat with a punch that landed between Holm's neck and shoulder.
It was a well-deserved win despite the boos from the crowd in Staples Center and the stinging reviews on social media.
There has been speculations, in reference to Bleacher Report, that Holm, after her debut, is more likely to face the reigning UFC's women bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. However, Holm needs more seasoning up to the sport's highest level if she were to challenge Rousey at some point.
According to MMA Junkie, UFC President Dana White said that they should let Holm get a couple of fights and let her feel like UFC is her home until she moves up in the ranking. "She's got some time to get there." White said.
Seeing Rousey beat Zingano in less time than it takes to get dressed is a reaffirmation of her status in the MMA scene. It is as if that she is a generation ahead, and if Holm were to challenge her, she would still have a long road to travel.
