INTO THE FUTURE
Holly Holm grapples with her future following her second straight loss
What’s next for Holly Holm as she tries to recover from another loss?
CHICAGO — The bruises weren’t given time to heal.
Actually, the sweat hadn’t even dried Saturday night before the questions about her future were starting to fire at Holly Holm faster than a Valentina Shevchenko counterpunch.
It’s the nature of the fight game.
Win or lose, the story almost always shifts instantly from what just happened to what will happen next.
And for Holm (10-2), whose unanimous decision loss to the underdog Shevchenko on Saturday night in Chicago gave her the first two-fight losing streak of her career, the future isn’t one she feels she has as much control over anymore.
“Coming off of two losses — I’ve never even been in this position before,” said Holm. “And I personally feel, yeah, I’ve had some wins, but I don’t really feel like I’m in a place to choose. I think I just need to take what opportunities they give me.”
Title talk, it would seem, is now a ways away for the 34-yearold Holm, especially considering her recent skid coincides with a handful of other fighters emerging as contenders.
Since beating Ronda Rousey in November, a win as groundbreaking for Holm’s star power as it was for the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division, things haven’t gone as most would have anticipated.
Not only has Rousey not yet set a return date since Holm’s devastating left foot to the side of her head ended the reign of the former champion, but no new champion has successfully defended the belt since.
Holm lost her first title defense to Miesha Tate in March. Tate lost then lost to Amanda Nunes on July 9. And now emerging stars like Shevchenko, Sara McMann and Julianna Pena appearing as deserving of title shots as the previous big three of Holm, Tate and Rousey.
The UFC insists this is all a good thing.
“I think it absolutely proves the strength of the women’s bantamweight division and the strength of the women athletes that we have in the UFC,” said Dave Sholler, UFC vice president of public relations, athlete development and marketing. “Three of our last five cards have been headlined by women. I remember a time 16 or 17 months ago
when people were saying this is a one and done division. It’s all revolving around Ronda. Look what’s happened. The parity in this division is such that this division is sustainable for a long, long time.”
And as for Holly’s future? Despite past comments from president Dana White suggesting otherwise, the UFC still holds Holm in very high regard, especially after Saturday’s event, which she was billed as the main draw, pulled in a live gate of $1 million and drew an announced crowd of 10,287.
“To do 10-plus thousand fans and a $1 million live gate in a great market like Chicago, speaks to her drawing power,” Sholler said. “I don’t know that there’s been an athlete other than Ronda and Conor (McGregor) in the past 12 months or so in higher demand than Holly Holm and I think she’s handled it well. ... She’ll make the adjustments. She’s got the right team around her. She’s got a really sharp group of championship level coaches. Tonight, she got tactically outperformed.
“The whole thing about Holly Holm that is refreshing is she relishes the opportunity to be the underdog. We saw that when she fought Ronda. People writing her off now will probably be unpleasantly surprised when they see how she bounces back.”
Aside from the big picture talk, though, Holm’s future has one very specific detail in the cage that needs attention. In each of her past two losses, her high respect for a specific strength of her opponent — Tate’s wrestling ability and Shevchenko’s counter attack — led Holm to become almost paralyzingly hesitant to unleash her elite striking ability and overwhelming strength.
“My last fight,” Holm said the Tate March loss to Tate loss, “I was hesitant thinking, ‘Well I’m fighting a wrestler so I need to watch out for the takedown.’ “
While she was winning on the scorecards, she didn’t finish Tate, allowing her to hang around long enough for a 5th round submission.
Of Shevchenko, Holm expressed a similar regret.
“She’s a counter puncher and I was respecting that a little too much rather than just doing what I do best,” said Holm. “I just need to believe in my own abilities a little more and just go forward . ...
“I need to go forward.”