Holly Holm may have lost two fights in a row, but Feb. 11 she gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she fights Germaine de Randamie at UFC 208 in Brooklyn, New York.

At the event, Holm, the former bantamweight champion, has gold in her sights once more, as her fight with de Randamie will be contested for the inaugural UFC women's featherweight championship.

Despite having been defeated by current title contender Valentina Shevchenko in her last UFC outing, Holm has stuck with the recipe and stood by her longtime coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Speaking to Submission Radio this week, Winkeljohn shed insight into Holm's preparations for her last fight, suggesting that all was not well.

"Holly's just very strong and she's very determined and she's honestly--she's embarrassed by her last outing and she wants to get back to the top," Winkeljohn said. "Miesha Tate was one of those fights that she did great. It was just when she got taken down and she just had a lack of focus for just a second, and Miesha's relentless at what she does, she's just great.

"With Shevchenko, we see how good she is after watching her and Pena, but Holly just had a bad fight. And in some ways, I probably shouldn't have let her fight, because there was a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes. But there's no excuses for this one. She's all in, and she'll be victorious."

While Holm is now two on the skid, she continues to be matched against elite competition, and de Randamie will be no small task at UFC 208. Winkeljohn, however, believes that Holm has more than enough to get the job done in Brooklyn, and he thinks Holm's athleticism will be the difference between the two.

"[De Randamie is] a world champion, undefeated kickboxer, Muay Thai fighter," Winkeljohn said. "So she can bang and she can come forward, she can pressure you, she hits hard and she's very strong in the clinch. She will throw hard knees, and they have made a difference in the fight.

"I know she's working on her wrestling every day, so I expect a little of that in the fight as well. I think that the difference is going to be Holly's ability to change the fight depending on the situation. Holly's got a lot of experience with movement and motion, and I think that she's a superior athlete."

With that advantage in mind, Winkeljohn can see the fight ending in only one way, and it would result in Holm having a new UFC title wrapped around her waist at the end of the night.

"I think Holly's going to wear her down and keep breaking her down," Winkeljohn said. "Holly's never been known for her one-punch power--she's been known for her kick power. Germaine keeps her hands up very well, so it's going to be one of those things -- breaking that body down, breaking that body down and eventually catching her with something.

"My prediction is Holly stops her by the fourth round. It's going to be a little later in the fight, but by the fourth round."




Listen to Winkeljohn's full interview here (begins at 36:12):