Holly Holm Thinks Ronda Rousey’s Media Blackout Is Proof She Wasn’t Ready

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Holly Holm said that she believes Ronda Rousey’s media blackout prior to UFC 207 was a sign that she wasn’t mentally ready to challenge UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Here are highlights:

On if Rousey was ready: “I was a little worried about her mental game getting in there. I know a lot of people said ‘no MMA media, none of that’, because she didn’t want any distractions. Well, I really hate to do all of it, but guess what, that’s what comes with the fight, and if I didn’t do it, I don’t even think I would be ready for the fight.”

On being able to talk about a loss: “If you can’t even talk about it, if you can’t even be doing the normal thing leading up, I don’t think you’re really ready to get in there and actually fight. If you can’t really talk about it, how are you gonna get in and perform on it? I’m kind of a believer in that. I feel like you have to be able to kind of face it, and sometimes I think if you’re trying to ignore those facts, I feel like the focus really isn’t there. So I was kind of worried if she gets in, is she really gonna be ready to just go, when she hasn’t really had to talk about it or face it or really get into it in that way.”