“I’ve been evolving,” Holm said. “When I first started [MMA] it was, let’s just work on get-ups. I’ve definitely learned along the way; I’ve tried to keep it simple but capitalize on different aspects of all martial arts. The sport is evolving, but I was in boxing for 10 years and I was the young up and comer for a while and then I was the veteran for a while, and I feel like that’s how it is in MMA now. I’ve seen changes in it, and sometimes I think fighters can let it get in their head like, ‘Oh, I’m on the other end of it,’ just because there’s new fighters coming. I see it as new challenges. I’m still learning, and when I go to the gym, I still try to be a sponge and keep wanting to learn, as well.”
Working in tandem with her robust knowledge of MMA is Holm’s eagerness for competition. In 2002, Holm made her professional boxing debut, winning via TKO in front of hometown fans in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Twenty-one years later, Holm carries that same passion as she prepares to step into the UFC Octagon at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen.
“I truly still get nervous for fighting and it reminds me that I’m still really passionate about it and that I care,” Holm said. “If I didn’t get nervous, that’d mean, win or lose, it’s whatever. That’s not how I feel. I still love this sport; I don’t know what I’d do without it and I’ll keep riding it as long as I’m healthy and passionate about it.”
