UFC Singapore Fight Night: Holly Holm kicks off with a victory

Singapore: American Holly Holm revived her UFC career with a superb knockout victory over Brazil’s Bethe Correia in the Singapore Fight Night 111 on Saturday.

Making her comeback into the octagon after a gap of one-and-a-half years, Holm was desperate to arrest her three-match losing slide, but it took a while for her to unleash the lethal kick that brought Correia down in the third round.

Both the fighters started off cautiously, dancing around the cage, as the restless audience — 8000-odd— started booing in the first round.

Not many would have expected the bout to end with two rounds to spare.
Holm planted her left shin squarely on Correia’s right jaw and followed it up with a powerful punch that gave the Brazilian no chance to recover.

“I agree the first two rounds were slow, but I wanted to pick my shots and not make it too messy out there. I picked the shot I wanted and got the finish. In my last two fights my opponents countered me, so I countered tonight. We figured she would get frustrated and that’s what opened up the opportunity for the head kick,” said Holm.

Holm dedicated the victory to her coaches and family. “I really wanted this for my coaches mostly. Just imagine how many hours they’ve put into me in this last year and a half. I’m going to enjoy this win tonight and then spend some time with my family,” she added.