Yahoo Sports UFC Fight Night 71 Results: Holly Holm Outclasses Marion Reneau
When women's bantamweight Holly Holm arrived in the UFC the expectations for the former multiple-time boxing champion were high, and she hasn’t disappointed.
On Wednesday, Holm put on a flawless performance in her second octagon appearance against Marion Reneau on the UFC Fight Night 71 main card.
She worked angles and employed a diverse kicking attack. Reneau, who was on a five-fight winning streak heading into the fight, couldn’t find her range against the bigger Holm.
In the second frame, Holm began putting together combinations and picking Reneau apart. The brown belt in jiu-jitsu desperately wanted to get the Holm to the ground and tried to pull guard. Holm peeled her off and slammed her to the canvas.
In the third round, Holm picked up her already steady output. She had targeted Reneau’s body with side kicks throughout the fight, and it started to pay off late in the contest. She hurt Reneau in the closing moments with a kick to the body and poured it on trying to get the finish, but couldn’t.
UFC Fight Night 71 Full Results and Fight Analytics
She outworked Reneau, landing at nearly three times the rate than her opponent. In the end. she earned a unanimous decision win.
“I feel like I showed a little more from my last fight, but I still want to show more. I always want a finish when I got in there, but I’ll keep working hard for you guys,” said Holm following her second UFC win.
The finish nearly came, and Holm wished she had been more aggressive earlier in the bout.
“I wish that I would have done that a little sooner, but if I ran into something dumb early, I don’t’ know. It’s never perfect for me. It makes me want to go back to the gym tomorrow,” said the perfectionist about her performance.
With the win, Holm remained undefeated and extended her unbeaten streak to nine fights. She’ll likely move up in the rankings and potentially face a top five-ranked opponent in her next outing.
