5 best Holly Holm performances in the UFC
Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm will square off against Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 55 this weekend. The fight will mark her return to the octagon after an absence of almost two years.
'The Preacher's Daughter' will be coming into the fight riding a two-fight win streak.The 40-year-old made her UFC debut back in 2015 against Raquel Pennington and won the contest by split decision.
A former three-division professional boxing champion, Holm has a 7-5 record in the promotion and has impressed many with her striking.
As 'The Preacher's Daughter' prepares to further her prospects for another title shot, let's take a look at five of her best performances in the promotion.
#5. Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie at UFC 208
UFC 208 saw Holly Holm lock horns with Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural Women's Featherweight title.
The opening round kicked off with 'The Preacher's Daughter' dancing around the octagon, slipping in a few combinations at de Randamie. The Dutchwoman, meanwhile, was good with her counter-striking, peppering the former bantamweight champion whenever possible.
The second round was mostly spent with both fighters locked in a clinch. This is where 'The Iron Lady' had a slight upperhand. She hurt Holly Holm with body shots from the clinch position and thwarted the American's efforts to inflict any damage.
Holm, however, recovered well in the next round. She used her feet to close the distance and target de Randamie's left leg with powerful kicks. Though she did get hit a few times in the process, she outstruck her opponent 16-12 in significant strikes on target, which included a crisp headkick towards the end of the round.
BIG KICKS! @HollyHolm ends R3 with some significant strikes! #UFC208 https://t.co/4OHCHawzY0
'The Iron Lady' outstruck Holly Holm in the last two rounds, but the American landed a greater volume of strikes on her opponent.
The Dutchwoman eventually won the fight via unanimous decision and became the inaugural UFC Women's Featherweight champion. The decision, however, was a controversial one due to the illegal strikes thrown by de Randamie.
Moments after the sounding of the horn at the end of the second round, 'The Iron Lady' rocked Holm with a heavy right hand. The same was repeated after the end of the third round, but no points were deducted in the end.