Tag: Holly Holm

FIGHTER PROFILE: HOLLY HOLM

Holly Holm

Holly Holm is one of MMA’s biggest stars who’s faced some of the biggest names in the sport. Holm who started off as a boxer and transitioned to MMA has produced some of the sports wildest moments including an upset victory against Ronda Rousey. Holm is always training and even at forty is producing some great fights and is second in the UFC Women’s Bantamweight division, an impressive feat for any athlete especially in a sport whose athletes have a short shelf life.

Holm was born on October 17, 1981 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her father is a Church of Christ preacher and her mother is a massage therapist. Her parents divorced when Holm was in High School. Holm always was an athlete; she competed in gymnastics, swimming and diving. Holm also played soccer when she was younger. When Holm was 16 she was taking an aerobics class and her cardio kickboxing teacher Mike Winkeljohn noticed her abilities and encouraged her to train, which Holm did and was a natural. 


Holm would win the International Rules Adult Women’s Welterweight Division championship at the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) USA National Amateur Championship Tournament. Holm would finish her amateur kickboxing record career with a 6–0–2 record. Holm would then go on to start a professional boxing career. Holm held several boxing world titles and is considered to be one of the best female boxers of all time. Holm finished her boxing career in 2013 while fighting MMA at the same time.


Holm started her MMA career in 2011 when she beat Christina Domke by TKO (leg kicks.) for the Fresquez Productions promotion which was owned by her Boxing Promoter, Lenny Fresquez. From there Holm Would move on to Bellator and then Legacy FC before signing with The UFC. Her first fight in the UFC would be against Raquel Pennington, Holm would win via a split decision. From there she’d face Marion Reneau in July of 2015 she’d win by unanimous decision. Holm would then go on to face Ronda Rousey for the Bantamweight title she’d win by KO (head kick and punches.) In her next fight she’d lose the title to Miesha Tate.

Since losing her title Holm has gone on to face some of the toughest names in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions including tough loses to Cris Cyborg, Amanda Nunes, and Valentina Schevchenko. She is a great fighter and is currently ranked second in the Bantamweight division and sixth in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings and is riding a two fight win streak with victories against Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana.

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FIGHTER PROFILE: MIESHA ‘CUPCAKE’ TATE

(Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Tate lands a kick on Holly Holm. (Photo Courtesy of Zuffa.)

Miesha Tate made her return to the UFC in July of 2021 with a win over Marion Reneau. Tate who is a former UFC and Strikeforce champion has made a career out of amazing risks that definitely paid off none more riskier than making a return to the octagon after five years off. Tate was supposed to fight again on October 16th in a main event against  Ketlen Vieira, unfortunately Tate contracted Covid and is out of the five round bout. But Tate will come back stronger. She’s always been about overcoming obstacles going from living in a trailer behind her gym to being a champion. 

Tate was born on August 18, 1986 to Michelle Tate in Tacoma Washington. Tate was raised by her mother and her husband Robert Schmidt. Tate would attend Franklin Pearce High School, where she’d start her journey towards MMA Gold when she decided to join the wrestling team. Tate would join the boy’s team and would compete for four years and would win the state championship her senior year.  Tate would go on to attend Central Washington University, where she’d join the MMA club after it was pointed out by friends how much she’d enjoy the experience.

Although Tate was weary of starting to fight MMA because of  the sport’s heavy emphasis on punching over just grappling like her love of wrestling and not wanting to get punched Tate would take her first amateur fight in March of 2006, against  Elizabeth Posener. Tate would go on to lose the bout and would say of the experience “I finally realized what I was there to do, and accepted the harsh truth this wasn’t a wrestling match. It was a fight.” Tate would go on to win her next five amateur fights and would end her amateur career with a  5–1 before turning pro.

Tate would go on to start a pro career in MMA. Tate would win her first MMA title by defeating Liz Carreiro at Freestyle Cage Fighting 30 by submission. Tate would defend the title once by submitting, Valerie Coolbaugh. Tate would then move permanently to Strikeforce where she’d become Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship in 2011, when she defeated Marloes Coenen by Submission (arm-triangle choke.) Tate would go on to lose her belt to Ronda Rousey. 

Strikeforce would eventually be bought by the UFC. And with the merger of the two organizations the UFC got all of Strikeforce’s fighters. Tate would go on to lose her UFC debut against Cat Zingano. Oddly enough Tate’s next fight was for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship against Ronda Rousey as she was a stand in for Zingano as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter the first season to feature women. Tate would lose her championship bout to Rousey, but would eventually win The UFC title against Holly Holm. Tate would unsuccessfully defend the belt against Amanda Nunes who still holds the belt to this day. Tate would step away from competing in the sport after a loss to Raquel Pennington.

In her time away from competing in the sport Tate would get a job as the Vice President of ONE fighting championship in 2018. Tate would also become a mother during this time, but Fighting was in the cards again for Tate who stepped back into the UFC Octagon in July of 2021. Tate is currently ranked eighth in the UFC Bantamweight division.

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