Holm Not Fighting For ‘Participation Ribbon’
Holly Holm is not just fighting because she has a contract — she still plans on becoming a champion again.
The former women’s bantamweight champion has lost five of her last seven outings, three of which include title fights. Her most recent setback was a knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in their bantamweight title fight last summer.
Looking to get back on the win column, Holm takes on Raquel Pennington in a rematch at UFC 246 this Saturday. And for her, it’s just another attempt at climbing up the ladder and eventually regaining UFC gold.
“If I wasn’t still trying to climb and fight for that belt then what would I be doing this sport for anyway?” Holm told MMA Junkie. “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 yes, every fight I have is, to me, is eye on the prize always.”
When Holm first faced Pennington back in 2015, she won a split decision to take her record to 8-0 at the time. However, nearly five years on, she currently holds a 12-5 record.
Despite her recent setbacks, Holm believes she’s a much better fighter compared to their first meeting.
“I honestly feel like I’ve really improved a lot from the first fight,” Holm added. “When I was first, even having my first fight in the UFC, I was very new to MMA, and you know I’d been doing boxing and MMA back and forth and 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’ve been able to really learn a lot since then so I think I’m a completely different fighter from the first.”
Returning to the win column would be a good start for Holm. However, she will need a couple more wins if she wants to challenge for the bantamweight title again.
