All the talk leading into the UFC Battle Island 4 main event was Irene Aldana making a title shot with a victory however Holly Holm had plenty to say about that.
Over five rounds, the former bantamweight champion looked probably much better than she has in any fight given that knocking out Ronda Rousey to win the title as Holm absolutely dominated every facet of the fight versus Aldana. From striking to grappling, Holm was fantastic everywhere while picking apart Aldana from the very first second of the fight until the last.
Holm even handled to mix in a couple of takedowns, which really began to pay off by the time the battle made it into the third round.
The exact same technique continued to pay dividends with Holm plainly the more active fighter, assembling a volume striking game that kept Aldana guessing. Quick on her feet, the former bantamweight champion was requiring Aldana to chase her, which then enabled her to pick the moments when she unleashed her mixes.
After putting Aldana on her back, Holm was trying to find submissions, advancing her position and then damaging her challenger with punches.
While she wasnt doing much damage, Holm was definitely managing the exchanges on the feet while Aldana simply couldnt find her rhythm.
Understanding that she was down big on the scorecards, Aldana understood that a surface was her only course to triumph however she just could not catch up to Holm on the feet. Aldana was always providing chase, which then allowed Holm to pick her apart with a range of strikes including a number of stiff side kicks to the body.
As much as Aldana desired to be the assailant on Saturday night, she was having a hard time to cut off the cage with Holm choosing up on her footwork to time her mixes. Holm kept tossing a comparable series of strikes as she opened with a kick and then quickly peppered Aldana with three or 4 rapid-fire punches.
” I like to just let the future fold out,” Holm said. “I have a great group around me that fret about that and I simply train.”
The scorecards returned 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45, which showed the uneven nature of Holms efficiency.
Considering the way she won, Holm will unquestionably get discussed as a possible title competitor yet again, although a rematch versus Germaine de Randamie might make more sense after both chose up success on Saturday. For her part, Holm is just going to get back to work while waiting on word from the UFC on what comes next.
” I constantly say I like to gain from my wins and not from my losses trigger I discover each time,” Holm said after notching her second straight win in a row. “Im still extremely green and finding out so I just wish to put everything together.
By the time the fight made it into the last round, Holm was in total control and it was clear Aldana was out matched without any genuine modifications made in an effort to shift the momentum to her favor. With simply seconds remaining, Holm unleashed a blistering series of strikes in an effort to get the finish as she cleared the tank one last time however Aldana had the ability to survive.
When the fight ended, Holm had landed more than 100 substantial strikes, which was far greater than any other efficiency shes had in the UFC.
