“A few things different, but quite a bit of it played out. In fact, a lot of it. It’s all about how fast is Ronda coming, or is she stopping, is she going to try to cut off the cage? We had to have an answer for everything… Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the head. I think Holly hit her a little bit and took her out of her thought process, and then people just don’t know how strong Holly is. We haven’t shown that card; we still haven’t shown a lot of Holly’s cards. And it played out where Holly could dominate… They probably did [underestimate Holm] a little bit, but I think Ronda, she was the best in the world for a reason. She’s determined to win, and her striking has gotten better. She’s got some good people who have helped her out. But if they overlooked what Holly can do, no one will again in the future. That’s for sure.”
-Holly Holm’s longtime striking coach Mike Winkeljohn talks to MMAJunkie.com with a reaction to Holm’s performance at UFC 193, and her head kick KO win over Ronda Rousey.
Penick’s Analysis: Holm absolutely got overlooked and underestimated. Maybe not by Rousey herself, but for most who looked at this fight, it seemed like she was set to be just another victim. Rousey’s run of dominance had been so complete, and Holm’s previous UFC bouts so underwhelming, that it seemed like just another fight for Rousey. Full credit to Holm, Winkeljohn, and the rest of their team for putting together a perfect gameplan and executing. It was fantastic, and it seems quite likely Holm will get her due respect moving forward.
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