As if suffering her second consecutive loss against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on FOX 20 this past July (see it here) wasn’t bad enough, Holly Holm’s situation took a turn for the worse when she injured her thumb during the fight. After undergoing surgery, Holm had to then deal with constant criticism for taking a fight against Shevchenko instead of holding out for a potential big-money rematch against Ronda Rousey.
But, unlike what many of today’s top stars prefer to do, Holm isn’t about trying to pick a fight that gets her the most cash, she just wants to tango with whoever is ready to throw down. Because, at the end of the day, face-punching is her passion.
"It is annoying because a lot of people that do that [criticize], I don't think they ever listen to all these other articles or interviews that come out from me," she said on 'The MMA Hour.' "like to fight, I don't know why people think I'm taking fights for money -- it drives me crazy. I wanted to fight because I wanted to get in there and fight and it has nothing to do with me waiting for this money fight or that money fight. That is not why I fight.
"So whatever people say is their own opinion and it has nothing to do with what I shoot for or what my goals are," she continued. "I’ve always told myself that I would never fight for money, only for passion, and I want to stay true to that. And that’s what I was doing, fighting because I wanted to fight."
As far as being disappointed for not getting the rematch against Rousey in her return bout later this year against division champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, Holm says that is far from the case, admitting that she is in no position to pick fights based on her last two performances. And unlike this other women's Bantamweight contender, Holm isn’t mad that "Rowdy" got an immediate title shot. As for when "Preacher’s Daughter" expects to return to the cage, she isn’t too sure at the moment, needing to get medically cleared to resume training before taking on a fight.
Meanwhile, the division will sort out itself.