Holly Holm on UFC deal: 'I didn't make it anywhere yet'

Getting to the UFC was an important step for Holly Holm, but the former pro boxer and undefeated MMA prospect admits she hasn’t accomplished anything on MMA’s biggest stage just yet.

Holm, who signed with the UFC this past month, is one of the highest-profile additions to the UFC women’s bantamweight roster since its launch in early 2013.

In fact, Holm (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is often mentioned as a possible challenger for dominant reigning champion Ronda Rousey, though the Legacy FC vet said she doesn’t plan to rush into an immediate title shot with “Rowdy.”

However, while mending a broken arm, Holm appeared on Wednesday’s edition of “UFC Tonight” and admitted her arrival comes with a lot of expectations.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” she told hosts Brian Stann and Kenny Florian. “Even people that run into me are like, ‘Oh, man. Are you so excited? You made it to the UFC.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s exciting, but I didn’t make it anywhere yet. I have all of my work ahead of me.’ And so, yes, it’s exciting, but it comes with a lot of pressure and a lot of emotion around that.”

However, she said there’s a silver lining to the pressure.

“I figure you’ve just got to take the good with the bad,” she said. “If nobody was excited about it and nobody was talking about it, that means maybe I wasn’t really someone to look out for. But the fact that I feel like a lot of girls do want to – like you said, I have a target on my back and they want to be the first to get at me – I like that. It just makes me want to train harder, and it motivates me.”

Holm hasn’t been booked for her next fight, and the timetable will depend on an upcoming doctor’s appointment, where she hopes to get cleared to resume full training.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.