Nerves seemed to get the best of former boxing champion Holly Holm in her UFC debut, but for her second fight the New Mexico native looked much more comfortable as she kicked her way to a unanimous decision victory over Marion Reneau.
Holm is well known for her boxing prowess, but she’s been working tirelessly with the coaches at Greg Jackson’s MMA to improve upon her overall game, and she showed some of that in her latest fight in the Octagon.
Holm decided to use her kickboxing as a primary weapon against Reneau, tossing out a ton of side kicks to the body and to the leg.
Holm would occasionally jump in with a kick and follow with a few punches or do the exact in reverse, although a great majority of her shots were coming up just short of landing.
Fortunately for Holm, her opponent wasn’t doing much at all to counter her and instead just kept backing up and waiting for something to happen.
Reneau’s corner repeatedly screamed at her to get moving and unleash, considering most of Holm’s strikes weren’t landing, but she just couldn’t pull the trigger.
Throughout the fight, Holm was the aggressive, pressing forward with two- and three-punch combinations before launching a head kick.
Holm’s kicks were really the difference all night as she used her long reach and distance to keep Reneau from doing anything to get inside from the opening bell until the final horn.
The win was definitely a better showing for Holm than her debut, although she still hasn’t lived up to the huge expectations heaped on her shoulders when she arrived in the UFC and was immediately called a potential threat to bantamweight women’s champion Ronda Rousey.
It’s clear after two fights that Holm is developing into a better UFC prospect, but she may not quite be ready for a top-five opponent after her latest showing against Reneau on Wednesday night.
Courtesy of: Fox Sports