While Jon Jones’ fight with Thiago Santos is the main attraction at UFC 239, MMA fans are also definitely excited to see the match between Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm. Like Jones, Nunes also holds two UFC titles. She’s obviously the overwhelming favorite in this match, but it’s not like Holm hasn’t taken down a huge chalk before, having defeated Ronda Rousey some years back. Read on for a preview of what is surely an entertaining fight between two of the baddest women in the UFC.
There seems to be no one capable of stopping Nunes based on the form she’s been showing MMA fans for quite some time now. For starters, Nunes has not lost a single bout over her last eight fights, a stretch that includes four wins in title fights. The last time she was inside the Octagon, Nunes lit up Cris Cyborg via an impressive knockout in the first round. Owner of the women’s featherweight and bantamweight belts, Nunes will look to dismantle another marquee challenger in the form of Holm. Nunes is an explosive fighter with dangerous striking power. She has 12 knockout victories, three of which occurred over his last four fights. Among her knockout victims were Ronda Rousey and Valentia Shevchenko, a former flyweight champ. Nunes likes to bang, and in Holm, she’ll find someone who is also willing to trade blows. That could be to Nunes’ advantage, as she’s the more accurate striker of the two. She is landing 51 percent of her significant strikes to just 24 percent by Holmes. Nunes also has a 3-1 submissions record with a solid ground game and takedown defense.
Holm owes most of her popularity to that time when she took down Ronda Rousey back in 2015. She lost the title she got from that fight in her first defense, though, as she was submitted by Shevchenko, a fight that was followed by another loss, this time against Miesha Tate. Holm has been shaky inside the Octagon since the Rousey fight, but at least she’ll enter the fight against Nunes on the heels of a unanimous decision win over Megan Anderson on Jun. 9. That Holm took the fight just weeks before the fight her Nunes shows her eagerness to prove that she still has what it takes to be champion again. One very big key to success for Holm is none other than his power. Holm has eight knockout wins. As mentioned earlier, Holm isn’t going to back down in a strike-fest, as she’s confident in her power. However, she will have to be careful not to fall into traps by Nunes, who’s going to try to bring Holm to the canvas, where the champion has a seeming advantage over The Preacher’s Daughter.
