Interview: Holly Holm talks UFC Singapore, Bethe Correia and more
Holly Holm will headline UFC Fight Night Singapore tomorrow night when she enters to Octagon to face Bethe Correia. Coming off three straight losses, including a controversial loss against Germaine de Randamie in her last fight, The Preacher’s Daughter will look to leave Singapore with a victory.
As humble as she is confident, Holm will look to send a message to the rest of the division tomorrow as she looks to fight her way back into title contention.
Q: What do you think of Singapore so far?
It’s been great. I’m enjoying the city and going for my runs to get ready for this fight. Singapore is something different in its own right. I’ve never been here before. In a place like this – it’s beautiful, the people are great. Rather than sitting on a treadmill, I’d go around and see the city.
Q: You’ll face Bethe Correia tomorrow. What has your preparation been like?
It’s been good. Training camp has been really good. Now it’s just up to me to perform when the time comes. I haven’t really changed a lot. Obviously, the training camp have been altered a little for Bethe but I still do all my sparring, all my grappling and my wrestling.
Q: The decision for your last fight with Germaine de Randamie was very controversial. You even appealed the decision unsuccessfully. What are your thoughts on that?
When it comes down to it, I just need to make it happen and leave it to the judges’ scorecards. Next time I just need to make it clearer for the judges. The last fight is still the last fight though. Now I have Bethe Correia in front of me. That’s all I’m thinking about.
Q: What’s your opinion on Germaine de Randamie? Her manager said that Germaine won’t fight. What are your thoughts on that?
I think that she should definitely step up and take a fight. Obviously, Cyborg has been using performance enhancers and had a couple of red flags along the way as well. For me, I don’t really waste my time on another situation. I have my own career, my own fight ahead of me. I don’t waste a lot of energy on somebody else’s decisions.
Q: You’re coming off three losses. Do you feel that there is an unfair amount of pressure that’s been placed on you given people are still calling you the “Rousey Slayer”?
Each fight is as it is. The Ronda fight was its own fight. I’ve had three fights since then, this is a whole different fight ahead of me. I can’t change the past, I’m not going to go back and look at it too much. I’m going to learn from it and that’s about it.
Right now it’s just going forward and I’m here for me. I’m here because this is what I love to do. I love that we have people covering the fight, I love that we have fans that want to watch the fight. But when it comes down to it I’m not getting in there just to prove something to somebody else. I’m in there for me. I want to win and that’s why I’m here.
Q: What can we expect from your fight this Saturday? Can we expect a standout war between you and your opponent?
We’ll see what happens when the bell rings. I don’t want to get fixated on a certain way the fight is going to go because it may not go that way. I want to be ready to adapt to whatever comes.
Q: Do you think a victory on Saturday can bring you back into the title picture?
Each victory opens up a new door so a victory on Saturday will definitely open doors for me and that all I want to do – to push forward and just keep getting better.
Q: You’ve been saying since your amateur days that you have been fighting for passion, for yourself. What keeps you going other than that?
My team. All the hard work that they put into it, I want to make it worth it. We put a lot of hours in at home and we’ve flown a long way. It sure is a better trip going back home with a victory.
Q: UFC and MMA, in general, is pretty huge in India right now. Do you have any message for upcoming Indian fighters?
I’d just tell them to be passionate about it, work hard for it, have ambition and self-motivation so opportunities can open up wherever they go. Basically just work hard for your dreams.
Watch UFC Fight Night Singapore Live and Exclusive on SONY ESPN HD, SONY ESPN SD Saturday 05:30 PM 17th June 2017.