Holly Holm News: Coach Mike Winklejohn Believes Miesha Tate More Dangerous Than Ronda Rousey
Striking coach Mike Winklejohn, now more notably known as the man behind the success of UFC bantamweight queen Holly Holm, believes that upcoming challenger Miesha Tate is a more dangerous opponent than former champion Ronda Rousey.
"Rowdy," who was also deemed by Sports Illustrated as the "most dominant athlete alive," lost her aura of invincibility when "The Preacher's Daughter" knocked her out in the second round of their November 15th fight at UFC 193.
The said fight took place in front of 56,000 fans at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Rousey was slated to have an immediate rematch against Holm, but a six-month medical suspension after the said fight will keep her in the shelves for a while.
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Holm opted not to wait that long, which the UFC management agreed to. Now, she is slated to face "Cupcake," who fought for the women's bantamweight world title strap twice: the first one in March 2012 in the now defunct promotion company Strikeforce, and at UFC 168 in December 2013, both against Rousey.
In a report by David St. Martin for MMA Fighting, Winklejohn first noted how a fight against Tate "makes sense," as he believes she was able to perform the best against Rousey, among the latter's past opponents. Winklejohn then spoke about how Tate could be more of a threat to Holm, as the former's fighting style involves more grinding and wrestling scrambles.
Prior to her mixed martial arts career, Tate held a significant amount of experience as a wrestler in high school. "There's different styles out there. Miesha Tate is going to scramble all day long while Ronda was trying to get quick submissions," Winklejohn said. "There's a difference in how that plays out. In many ways, Miesha is more dangerous than Ronda Rousey."
Tate currently holds a record of 17-5, with nine victories by stoppage. She last saw action in July 2015 against Jessica Eye, where she won by unanimous decision.
