Holly Holm (9-0) kommer att utmana Ronda Rousey (12-0) om bantamviktsbältet på UFC 193, men Holm tycker inte att hon har stressats till en titelchans.
Holm tvekade aldrig till att tacka ja till matchen mot Rousey.
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“First off, there was no hesitation because I feel like that’s not a mental strength,” Holm för MMAjunkie. “You have to be mentally strong to get in there. When they called, it was like, ‘This is what’s next. Awesome.’ If I would have felt like I should have said no, then when the next fight comes it would be, ‘Was I doubting myself before? Am I doubting myself now?’ That’s just a not mentality I have in me, and I don’t choose to feel that way at all.”
Holm medger att titelmatchen kom snabbare än hon trott, men att hon är redo för matchen och tycker inte att titelchansen kom för tidigt i karriären.
“Did it come sooner than we would think? That’s not a lie to say yeah, it came soon, but I’m really excited for it,” sa Holm. “There’s so many girls in the division, but guess what: Even before I signed with the UFC it was like, ‘Hey, when are you going to fight Ronda Rousey?’ Now we’ve got it scheduled and can really focus on it.
“There’s been all these questions about it, but I’ve had all these other fighters in front of me. But I didn’t want to focus on anything but the fight that’s right in front of me. Now I can really focus and dive into this training camp, and I’m really excited for it.”
Holm känner sig inte är rädd eller hotad av Rousey och är säker på att hon kan besegra Rousey om hon gör allting rätt.
“Nobody would want to watch a fight if they knew what was going to happen; the unknown is there, and anything can happen,” sa hon. “I’m very capable. I’m walking with every bit of confidence into this fight. (I’m) confidence without being cocky or overconfident.
“I’m going up against the best fighter. They aren’t calling her the most dominant female fighter. They’re calling her the most dominant female athlete, and that’s a lot to carry. Do I have to do everything right? Absolutely. But it’s possible.”