Holly Holm: People Who Don’t Fight Are Criticizing Mayweather-McGregor
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm is a perfect example of someone who found success in the boxing world then transitioned into MMA and made it. That is something to not to look away from. While appearing on a recent edition of the MMA Hour, she was asked about the highly anticipated boxing showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor,
Many people have already gone on record by saying that McGregor has no chance in this bout. However, Holm is one of those that refuse to count McGregor out right away.
“If McGregor wins, it’s going to be earlier,” Holm said during her recent MMA interview (via MMA Fighting). “If it goes longer, it’s going to be Floyd Mayweather. Anything can happen in a fight. I don’t think it’s a disgrace. I think if anyone’s out there making fun of this fight, I can guarantee you that those are the people who don’t fight.”
Tristar Gym coach Firas Zahabi claimed that McGregor’s best chance against Mayweather would be to fight rough and implement a smothering clinch game. Holm agrees with Zahbi’s statement but also thinks that McGregor would not be doing many adjustments, coming from his MMA experience.
“I think one of the biggest thing for me going from boxing to MMA that was hard was being close in the clinch because in boxing I could get comfortable in there,” Holm explained. “You could cover up and throw uppercuts and hooks and call it phone booth fighting, and when I first got into MMA, sometimes I’d want to stand in there and throw uppercuts and then all of a sudden they’ve got me in the clinch. Or, I’m trying to box, and somebody would go for a takedown.”
“So one of the biggest habits I had to break going into MMA was letting go of that inside boxing style, which I didn’t do all the time but I was comfortable there in the fight, and I feel like, going from MMA to boxing, is, I don’t want to say an easier transition, but I just feel like, there aren’t a lot of habits you’d have to break.”
This huge fight is set to go 12 rounds at 154 pounds on August 26th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will air live via Showtime Boxing.
