“People have asked me how I felt when I got the call for this fight and to be honest, the first thing I thought to myself was, ‘Finally! Let’s do this. People have been talking about this fight before I came to the UFC and have continued to talk about it regardless of who I’m fighting. Before my other fights, people were asking me about fighting Ronda even though I was about to fight someone else. The same thing happened when I signed my UFC contract so when the call for this fight came it was something I’d been ready to get for a long time. Who wants to come to the UFC and not fight for a title? If you don’t want greatness then don’t be a part of this game. I want greatness so bad I can taste it. I’m going in there with every intention of getting the victory. Obviously no one can tell the future or predict what will happen in there, but I’m going to be ready for every situation that comes my way. This is exactly what I want and I’m determined to walk out of there with that belt.”
-UFC 193 main event challenger Holly Holm talks to Duane Finley for Fansided.com about her mindset into the fight with Ronda Rousey.
Penick’s Analysis: The big benefit that Holm has missing from some of Rousey’s previous challengers is the fact that she’s got tons of experience and has been in big pressure spots before. Now, those were on a much smaller scale than the event she finds herself in on Saturday night, fighting in front of tens of thousands of fans and a potentially massive pay-per-view audience. Still, she’s been in some big spots through a long boxing career prior to shifting to MMA, and isn’t going to be as shaken by the spot as others might be. Can she pull off the seemingly impossible? She believes she can, and believes she will, and perhaps that’s enough to make it happen. I doubt it, but her drive is clear. We’ll find out either way on Saturday night.
[Photo (c) Jayne Kamin-Oncea via USA Today Sports]
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