Holly Holm: I don't feel that was my full potential against Ronda Rousey
It's hard to imagine Holly Holm's second-round knockout over Ronda Rousey going any better than it did at UFC 193, but the women's bantamweight champion still wasn't satisfied with her performance last November.
On the surface it appeared that Holm fought virtually the perfect fight, stopping Rousey's ultra-aggressive style, stifling her takedowns and submission attempts and battering the former Olympian with strikes throughout the first round before getting the knockout in the second.
Still, Holm says she's never going to be completely satisfied with a performance because the day that happens is the day she walks away from fighting all together.
"I don't feel that was my full potential," Holm told FOX Sports at UFC 194 when speaking about her fight with Rousey. "I feel like if that's my full potential, then I should retire because I don't feel like I'm going to get better.
"I don't feel like that was my full potential. It was a very dominating performance but it's also it's own fight. Every fight is different. Every matchup's different. It will be a whole different fight the next time around."
As of now, Holm still hasn't officially been booked for her next fight, although her manager Lenny Fresquez told FOX Sports earlier this week that an announcement could be forthcoming at any time.
Holm just recently signed a new multi-fight contract with the UFC, but whether or not she faces Rousey in a rematch in her next bout remains to be seen.
All signs pointed toward a second fight between the two women's bantamweights, but more recently it's started to look more and more likely that Holm may face another contender instead before Rousey returns in the middle part of 2016.
Whether it happens now or later, Holm isn't underestimating what Rousey will bring to the fight when they eventually meet again.
Holm won't attempt to duplicate her performance because she knows Rousey will try new tricks and attempt to figure out a different strategy to beat her in the rematch after falling short the first time.
Holm's job is to execute an even better game plan to beat Rousey and leave no doubt who is the tue champion. Holm has fought in rematches previously during her boxing career but assuming she faces Rousey a second time, it will be the first occasion she's handled this situation in her MMA career.
Holm just looks at it as a new challenge and another obstacle to overcome.
"I always feel like they're coming for me twice as hard as they were the first time, especially if they're coming from a loss and they're coming back. It's going to be different fight," Holm explained. "They've not only watched my film, they've felt my strength, they've felt my power, they've felt my movement, they've experienced me in the ring with them.
"So this will be my first rematch in MMA and she's felt my clinch, she's felt the punches, she's felt my movement so she'll be able to be more prepared the second time around. It will be a completely different fight. They're never the same."
