LAS VEGAS – Holly Holm will not stop pursuing UFC gold.
Holm, the former bantamweight champion, failed to regain the 135-pound title last year when when she was finished in the first round by dual champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 239.
Prior to that, Holm attempted to capture the UFC featherweight title twice but fell short on both occasions to Germaine de Randamie and Cris Cyborg, respectively. Holm enters her first MMA rematch Saturday against former UFC 135-pound title challenger Raquel Pennington in the co-main event.
Despite losing five of her last seven fight, Holm (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) is still trucking. And the way she looks at it, if she’s not aiming to be on top then what is she fighting for?
“If I wasn’t still trying to climb and fight for that belt then what would I be doing this sport for anyway?” Holm said. “I always say I’m not here for a participation ribbon. I’m here for the gold, and I’m going to work to get there, and every fight I take just as seriously as the next.
“Yes, it was heartbreaking to not be able to get that belt back in the summer, but I’m still cranking forward. I’m still moving forward, and I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have big dreams for myself. I would just walk away from it, so yeah, every fight I have is, to me, is eye on the prize always.”
Holm’s first fight with Pennington came in her UFC debut at UFC 184 almost five years ago. Holm won the bout via split decision but is confident that she is a different fighter now.
“I honestly feel like I’ve really improved a lot from the first fight,” Holm said “When I was first, even having my first fight in the UFC, I was very new still to MMA, and you know I’d been doing boxing and MMA back and forth. So whenever I was having an MMA camp, that’s when I would train MMA and when I had boxing, I was only training boxing.
“I think I’m a completely different fighter from the first.”
UFC 246 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
To hear more from Holm, watch the full interview above.
Holly Holm's pursuit to reclaim UFC title isn't over: 'I'm not here for a participation ribbon'
