Holly Holm Describes ‘Newfound Love’ for Wrestling, Grappling Aspects of MMA

As her mixed martial arts career has progressed, Holly Holm has proven herself to be far more than a one-dimensional striker.

When she entered the UFC, Holm was celebrated as a boxing world champion who also had a background in kickboxing, and that was reflected in her career-defining moment: a headkick knockout of Ronda Rousey to claim the bantamweight throne at UFC 193. Over time, however, the Jackson-Wink MMA standout has gotten much better at imposing her will in the clinch and on the mat.

That was quite evident in the UFC on ESPN 43 co-main event, where “The Preacher’s Daughter” overwhelmed Yana Santos with clinchwork, takedowns and ground-and-pound in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph. While one aspect of MMA will always be her favorite, Holm admits gaining appreciation for other elements of the sport over the years.

“I think my love will always be striking. I do have a newfound love for kind of just the grind and the wrestling aspect of it and grappling …You obviously enjoy it the more you know it,” Holm said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “When you’re first learning any kind of grappling and jiu-jitsu, you’re like, ‘I don’t even know what to do.’ Then when you start learning how to pass and do what you want to do and impose your will it gets more fun. But still in my heart, striking’s always what I enjoy the most.”

Holm’s ability to become more well-rounded has allowed her to stay relevant in the UFC’s bantamweight division. Were it not for a contentious split-decision setback against Ketlen Vieira last May, Holm might could be in the midst of a four-bout winning streak in the Octagon. Still, winning three out of her last four — with other notable triumphs over the likes of Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana — keeps her right in the thick of things at 135 pounds. She admits there isn’t necessarily a clear path for her to take given her history in the weight class.

“I definitely feel there’s not many above me,” Holm said. “I’ve fought Raquel Pennington twice, so sometimes that doesn’t make sense. However, if that’s the fight again, then, you know. But other than that it’s [Julianna] Peña or the championship, I guess. But you never know. Things change so much and you never know. I just want to keep getting better in the gym and whatever they present is what it’s going to be.”

It was revealed just prior to UFC on ESPN 43 that Holm recently signed a new six-fight contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Now 41 years old, Holm admits that her MMA career could conclude with that deal.

“That’s very possible,” Holm said. “I don’t ever like to put a timeline on myself, but I definitely know that I’m not like 25 or 30 anymore. I still feel very healthy right now. I definitely know retirement is sooner than it was 10 years ago, but I’m not ready to do it right yet.”

At this point, Holm doesn’t have a set date in mind for her next Octagon appearance.

“I’m healthy right now. I didn’t get any injuries in the fight. It’s more of a mental break to not have a fight scheduled,” she said. “But I’m sure in two weeks I’ll be bored and be like, ‘What’s my purpose?’ So we’ll see what happens. I don’t have like a set timeline.”