Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm knows she needs to make necessary tweaks against Miesha Tate when they face off at UFC 197 this coming March.
Tate is a tough cookie, someone who even drew the respect of deposed champion Ronda Rousey. She carries a different kind of fighting style and such is what Holm is wary of.
The two women share something in common — they both faced Rousey and lasted for more than one round. The only difference is Holm won and Tate lost. But that doesn't paint the whole picture which would place the champion as a heavy favorite.
Unlike her pre-fight hype with Rousey, the upcoming matchup is filled with respect. There are no expectations of trash talk nor wild confrontations particularly when the weigh-in starts.
Of the two, however, Holm is pressured to come out with a win. The UFC is still hoping to get a rematch between Holm and Rousey done sometime this year, but all that could be nixed if Holm loses to Tate.
As far as Holm is concerned, Rousey is someone far from her mind right now. That time will come but until then, her focus is on Tate.
She has to carefully study what makes Tate tick and especially what makes her a tough nut to crack. Although both are friends, Tate made it clear that when the opportunity to wrest a title comes, she will take it.
Unlike other fighter though, she prefers to let her actions speak for her. She doesn't engage in brash talk and places more emphasis on how Holm will come out this March.
Right now, Tate should be wary of the boxing skills of Holm. It was that talent that allowed her to outpoint and demolish Rousey, capped with a stinging kick to the head.
The best bet is for Tate to try and take down Holm. And when she does, she better be prepared for counters since Holm will be expecting her to resort to that.
