Raquel Pennington says strength and grappling will be keys to beating Holly Holm
Many fighters are at a disadvantage when they've fought former boxing world champion Holly Holm, in more ways than one. Not only does the dangerous striker posess incredible athleticism and skill, but she also has trained her entire career at a high altitude in New Mexico, helping her develop impressive conditioning.
When athletes exert themselves up high, where the air is thin, they typically find that fighting at sea level is a piece of cake. Holm makes her debut this Saturday at UFC 184 in Los Angeles, but the woman she will face is confident that she'll be the one in superior shape.
Colorado's Raquel Pennington has spent her whole life and career at a high altitude as well, and she says that her conditioning gives her confidence to beat anyone. "We do these crazy, intense workouts in Colorado, and then when I go to California or Las Vegas, it's like I just can't get myself tired," she tells FOX Sports.
Pennington says she's also been told her physical strength is out of proportion to her 135-pound size. "I feel like I most definitely get some of the greatest conditioning work in the world," she says.
"Miesha [Tate] talked a lot about that to me during 'The Ultimate Fighter' when she coached us. She said, 'You have wicked cardio. You never stop. And, you have ridiculous strength. You could never tell by looking at you.'"
Pennington says that encouraging words like that from a top contender like Tate encouraged her. She isn't sure exactly how she got to be so strong for her size, but she figures it has something to do with a lifetime of scrapping.
"After every fight, me and my opponents talk, and after we thank each other for accepting the fight, every single one of them has told me that they didn't expect me to be as strong as I felt. Stuff like that, or someone like Miesha, who paved the road, telling me that, gives me confidence.
"I've always been this way. I don't know why. I was always a huge tom boy and wrestled around with the guys. I've done weight lifting and been an athlete my entire life. I was just talking about this with a teammate the other day. There's a strength that Jiu Jitsu and a strong ground game gives you. You can take a guy who is 120 pounds but if he's a great grappler, you lock up with him and you wonder how in the world do you have this much strength? Being in the sport over years develops that."
For all of her opponent Holly Holm's accomplishments in the fight world, and her undefeated streak in MMA, Pennington is not yet convinced that she will have the type of strength that she's talking about. Holm, after all, is a striker at her core.
So, if Pennington believes grappling experience gives a fighter a strength edge, you'll excuse her for not yet buying into the hype of her striking-based opponent.
"Most definitely. I've watched footage of Holm, and that's a strength that doesn't develop in a year or two," Pennington explains.
Will Holly Holm [L] be well-rounded enough to deal with the grappling skills of Raquel Pennington [R]?
"I've seen some of her footage, and I'm not really the type of person to worry about what an opponent will do to me. I plan to dictate what she will react to."
Pennington also isn't scared of standing and exchanging strikes with the former boxing world champ. MMA striking is its own, more complicated art, and "Rocky" believes she can handle herself on the feet against Holm.
"MMA is not about boxing," she says.
"I can go toe-to-toe with anyone. I'm known as a brawler but my strength really is my ground game. The minute I start to get going down there, I get comfortable and pretty slick."
