There is officially a new badass in mixed martial arts, and her name is Holly Holm. The pro boxer turned mixed martial artist moved to 5-0 in MMA competition on Friday night at Legacy Fighting Championships 24, as she downed an overmatched Nikki Knudsen with a series of violent kicks, knee strikes, elbows, and punches en route to a second round stoppage. It was one of the most brutal finishes of the year, as Holm threw a hook kick to Knudsen’s ribs, Knudsen screamed, and then Holm rushed in to beat her down with knees and elbows from the clinch. Just a thing of beauty. It was Holm’s fifth stoppage win in her fifth MMA fight, showing once again that this woman isn’t going into the cage too eek out decisions, she is going in there to hurt her opponents. In all five of her fights, Holm has demonstrated an incredible ability to string together long combinations in a sport where many fighters instead focus on throwing one big shot. But Holm is doing it the right way, and I would argue she is currently the best striker in women’s mixed martial arts outside of Cyborg Santos. In fact, she may be one of the most technically brilliant strikers in all of MMA, and I think the UFC needs to sign her right now and put her in the Octagon so she can show the world how good of a fighter she really is. Not only has Holm shown an incredible display of standup skills so far, but she’s also shown that her grappling is quite good as she’s shown impeccable takedown defence so far. She is also massive for her weight class and a southpaw, which gives her extra advantages over most of the other female fighters she is competing against. And while I personally don’t think it should matter, she is a good-looking woman and the UFC has been quick to sign females who they can market due to their aesthetic features. I know that Holm is only 5-0, but the UFC women’s bantamweight division is extremely shallow and so Holm would be a welcome addition. Consider that recent signee Aleksandra Albu is only 1-0 in MMA and thus the UFC can’t use Holm’s small record as an excuse not to sign her. The other thing is that Holm is 31 years old right now, which means she is arguably in her prime and therefore should be competing against the best of the best right now. Think about it: she’s already been fighting the best female boxers in the world for the last decade, so why shouldn’t she be fighting the best female mixed martial artists? She’s proven now through five fights just how dominant she is, and yes while she hasn’t faced the toughest competition neither have many of the UFC’s other female bantamweights. I’ve been watching mixed martial arts for a long time and I know talent when I see it. And Holm is right up there with the best strikers I’ve ever seen in the cage — male or female. But not enough people know, because she’s been doing it on smaller shows. Now, after five brutal finishes in MMA, it’s time for the UFC to sign her, just so everyone can see just who the latest badass in mixed martial arts is for themselves. And I think they will like what they say.
