Holly Holm reacts to Ronda Rousey title fight: 'UFC wants to test me out'

Holly Holm (9-0) was never one to give a damn about her Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) reputation, nor does she care about the reason Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White decided to give her the nod over a "disappointed" Miesha Tate (17-5) to face women's Bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey (12-0) at UFC 195 on Jan. 2, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"Maybe it's one of those things where they just want to test me out, kind of throw me out there," Holm said Friday on FOX Sports 1's "America's Pregame" (via MMA Fighting). "Maybe it's because they really feel I'm ready. I don't really care too much of the why. I just want to make the best of the situation."

On ABC's "Good Morning America" Friday (Aug. 21, 2015), "Rowdy" announced that she would make her seventh consecutive title defense against the fellow undefeated mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor and former professional boxing champion

It was a decision that was met with much opposition as White had previously declared "Cupcake" -- winner of four-straight bouts -- the latest 135-pound No. 1 contender. White's rebuttal? "Everyone's already seen that fight."

Tate has faced off with Rousey once before, at UFC 168 in Dec. 2013, under the UFC banner, succumbing to a third-round armbar. It was her second time losing to Rousey overall, who also defeated her in Strikeforce back in 2012.

Holm's resume, while credible, doesn't feature wins over top opposition and former world title challengers like Sara McMann and Liz Carmouche, but it does feature a zero in the loss column and a few highlight-reel knockouts.

The 33-year-old's penchant for striking -- something which Rousey has improved upon later in her career -- is also another reason she believes White and Co. slotted her opposite the destructive champion.

"I think she knows that in beating me that even says more about her stand up," said Holm. "For a long time so many people were always just talking about her armbar. I think that she wanted to prove to them she has more than that, which she has done just that. So this is a big opportunity for her to really show people what she's made of."

Rousey recently tangled with brash Brazilian Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, earlier this month and disposed of "Pitbull" in just 34 seconds (highlights here). The 28-year-old became the owner of three career UFC knockouts with her thrashing of Correia.

Suffice it to say, several Rousey opponents have made mistakes while in the same Octagon. Holm never goes into a fight without a game plan -- part of the training she receives from her coaches at the Jackson-Winkeljohn fight factory -- but leaves "a little room for adjustments."

Life comes at you fast and when UFC calls for your number, you can't tell them, "No" (unless you're Hatsu Hioki).  "Preacher's Daughter" has stated multiple times that she would be patient and was happy to be improving before taking on a fighter the caliber of Rousey.

With that being said, Holm's head MMA trainer, Greg Jackson, is one of the best minds in the sport -- whether you like him or not -- and will undoubtedly get his fighter ready for war. It looks like Holm has already begun the mental process.

"We're gonna go in there with a game plan, but I always leave a little room for adjustments, because you never know how a fight is gonna go," Holm said. "My biggest thing is to just to stay focused the whole time. It's easy to just kind of say, 'Oh, we're here, let's just go' and go forward with any kind of thinking. It's a big mental game in there. I plan on being very composed."

Stay with MMAmania for more announcements regarding the UFC 195: "Rousey vs. Holm" fight card, which also includes a potential Strawweight title bout rematch between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha.