Boxing legend and Golden Boy founder Oscar De La Hoya believes women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will face a real challenge when she takes on Holly Holm at UFC 195 on January 2.
As reported by Luis Sandoval of Fight Hype, the Olympic gold medalist was asked about the upcoming bout and spoke in glowing terms of both fighters, saying: “It's a real fight...Holly Holm is a real fighter...it's going to be a very difficult for Ronda, but she's a warrior."
The video footage:
The undefeated Rousey is widely expected to beat former professional boxer Holm, who earned her shot at the title by beating Marion Reneau in July. Like Rousey, Holm is undefeated, sporting nine wins in her professional MMA career against Rousey's 12.
Holm presents a new kind of challenge for Rousey, who has cruised in her past couple of fights—most recently against Bethe Correia. Holm is an excellent striker who prefers to keep her distance and has the footwork to circle aggressive opponents. Some pundits certainly agree with De La Hoya, like Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden:
I'm a firm believer that fighting from distance and sturdy athleticism are the key to beating Rousey. Of UFC 135ers, Holm closest to that.
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) August 21, 2015
The 33-year-old knows she's in for a serious challenge, beating a woman who has dominated the bantamweight division like no one before her. When asked about her approach to the upcoming fight, Holm told TMZ she “has nothing but respect” for Rousey and she won't be engaging in trash talk.
Plenty of fans were hoping Rousey would have another rematch with Miesha Tate?or perhaps even a bout with Cris “Cyborg” Justino?in January, and the reactions to the announcement she'll be fighting Holm instead have been somewhat mixed. Snowden doesn't understand why, particularly after the showdown with the unimpressive Correia:
The response to this Rousey v. Holm fight is so weird. THIS is where fans balk? But fighting poor Bethe Correia was aces?
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) August 21, 2015
Holm's fighting style?calculated and from a distance?may not appease everyone, but it's clear plenty of pundits, and even the likes of De La Hoya, believe it will play to her advantage when she faces Rousey.
Whether it will be enough to walk away with an upset win remains to be seen, but at least UFC fans will be in for something different.
