Former professional boxing standout, Holly Holm, made her long-awaited Octagon debut last night (Sat., Feb. 28, 2015) in the co-main event of UFC 184 opposite Raquel Pennington.
And it was good, but not great.
Holm, for the most part, controlled the first two rounds of the the three-round 135-pound match inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. It was clear that she was the better striker, landing combinations seemingly at will and escaping before getting hit.
The situation, however, got a bit dicey in the third and final frame as Pennington finally began to get going, throwing caution to the wind in search of a finish. In fact, Pennington dropped Holm with a short shot, but "The Preacher's Daughter" got right back to her feet and continued to battle back.
Pennington would find more success as the final round expired, but she had dug herself a pretty deep hole on the judges scorecards at that point. Holm went on to win a split decision thanks in large part to her busy first two rounds, but she did not look like an immediate title contender.
Octagon jitters might be to blame. Regardless, inserting her into a match against division champion Ronda Rousey next would appear to be premature. Then again, there aren't many worthy contenders standing in Holm's way.
For complete UFC 184: "Rousey vs. Zingano" results, including play-by-play updates of the entire 11-match card, click here. And to check out a full fight recap of Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington click here.
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