Scouting Report: Holly Holm

Holly Holm

Born: Oct. 17, 1981 (Age: 41) in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Division: Women’s Bantamweight
Height: 5’8”
Reach: 69”
Record: 15-6 (8-6 UFC)
Association: Jackson-Wink MMA
Stage of Career: Twilight

Summary: Her boxing background aside, Holm has enjoyed a great career because of her abilities in other areas. Her boxing is surprisingly basic, relegated mostly to just the jab and cross. Holm’s hand speed is slow, and her punches are no more than decent beyond having proper technique and being straight. While she throws them in bunches, only the first one or two are accurate. Her kicks are much better, being fast and sudden; those directed at the legs and body are particularly effective. Her side kick stands out. Furthermore, Holm has become an effective grappler and used those skills to win many fights. Undeniably strong, she can secure takedowns in the clinch or from a shot against opponents with porous defense. Holm can also pin them to the fence and keep them there, pursuing victory through attrition. Beating her through grappling has proven exceedingly difficult, as she wields excellent takedown defense and excels at getting back to her feet. However, she has been vulnerable when kept on her back. In Holm’s prime, she leaned on some of the best cardio in the sport, which allowed her to throw an endless number of strikes and grapple non-stop for five straight rounds. She has slowed down with age, but her conditioning remains quite good. She also has a durable chin, pairs tremendous strength with stellar athleticism and shows sound fight IQ.

STRIKING

• Stance: Southpaw.
• Hand Speed: Slightly to moderately below average.
• Jab: Technical and straight but lacks zip.
• Cross: Light on some power but technical and straight.
• Right Hook: Rarely throws it.
• Overhand Left: Rarely throws it.
• Uppercuts: Almost never uses them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Throws punches in bunches, especially a series of one-twos, but her accuracy dips noticeably with each shot.
• Favorite Combination(s): A decent one-two.
• Leg Kicks: Sudden, fast and fairly technical.
• Body Kicks: Carry similar properties to those she aims at the legs.
• Head Kicks: Despite her knockout of Ronda Rousey, who was already tired and beaten by the time she landed it, it lacks some of the qualities of her other kicks, especially suddenness and speed.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: Yes.

Despite how frequently her boxing world championships are discussed, Holm’s hands are surprisingly limited and not especially impressive. She lacks hand speed and tends to throw only the jab and left cross. They are decent shots, thanks to proper technique. Holm throws them in bunches but struggles to maintain accuracy after the first punch or two. Her leg and body kicks have proven to be especially effective as sudden, fast, technical weapons she can use consistently. Holm’s head kicks are less sudden and quick, and they are often overhyped based on the result of the Rousey fight. She features constant movement and excellent footwork in standup exchanges but relies on those traits too heavily, as she lacks head movement and defensive instincts.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: One of the most powerful bantamweights in close quarters. She even managed to neutralize Rousey there.
• Technique: Holm often struggles to secure takedowns, but she has also proven difficult to take down herself.
• Knees: She does not throw them often enough, and they lack power when she does.
• Elbows: Holm mostly uses them to score points, but they are sudden and well-timed.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: She can be vulnerable to knees whenever she pushes an opponent into the cage.

Though most rightly classify her as a striker, Holm has enjoyed plenty of success pushing opponents into the cage and trapping them there with outstanding physicality. She cannot always convert those efforts into takedowns, but she has followed that route to victory before, most notably in her rematch with Raquel Pennington.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Somewhat telegraphed and slow, but she shows solid strength and technique. She managed to take down Irene Aldana at will.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Excels at pinning opponents to the cage but often struggles to convert takedowns.
• Takedown Defense: Sound, though she has been more vulnerable to being taken down in the clinch.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Often immediately posts up and gets back to an upright position.
• Submissions: Practically non-existent to this point in her career.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Poor. When kept there, which rarely happens, she tends to give up positions, which results in her eating ground-and-pound or getting submitted.
• Top Control: Limited at best.
• Ground-and-Pound: Average and consists mostly of arm punches.

Holm has made it difficult to take advantage of her in the grappling department, as she calls upon outstanding takedown defense and excels at getting back to her feet when grounded. She has wandered into danger against the few opponents who have kept her pinned to her back. Offensively, she possesses a respectable shot, and even though it may be somewhat slow and telegraphed, she has exposed counterparts with lesser takedown defense, including Megan Anderson and the aforementioned Aldana.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Tremendously powerful and extremely dynamic, even into her 40s.
• Cardio: She could fight at a high pace for five rounds without ever tiring in her prime. She takes a more measured approach now and occasionally shows signs of fatigue.
• Chin: Holm has always shown an ability to absorb heavy blows.
• Recuperative Powers: Recovered quickly when hurt against Cristiane Justino and Germaine de Randamie. Only Amanda Nunes has managed to stop her with strikes.
• Intelligence: Flashes consistent improvement and reinvents herself on a regular basis. Holm also zeroes in on opponents’ flaws and frequently exploits them.