Kal Holliday: 'I Have An Advantage' Heading into Invicta FC 22
For her pro debut at Invicta FC 19 last September, strawweight prospect Kal Holliday had one of the more daunting tasks of the night, facing world class Muay Thai veteran Tiffany Van Soest.
Yet, for Holliday, the match-up wasn’t intimidating at all, and if anything, not having any pressure on her in the fight helped lead to a second round submission victory.
“Basically I didn’t care who it was, I said sign me up,” Holliday told MMAWeekly.com. “At that time I didn’t know who Tiffany was. I’m the kind of fighter who will fight anybody who comes in front of me.
“Overall I was pretty confident in my abilities, and I knew that my wrestling base was going to play a huge part in how the fight played out. I was just really excited and there was nothing for me to lose taking that fight.”
Having previous championship experience in the amateur ranks, Holliday was confident that the step up to pros wouldn’t be as difficult as it might have been for some fighters.
“The biggest thing was jumping from three minute rounds to five minute rounds,” she said. “But the conditioning actually worked a lot more for my style, because I’m in really good condition and in longer rounds I can get more done.”
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Another area that Holliday draws confidence from is her background being in the Marine Corps.
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“I spent the time between the ages of 18 and 22 in (the military) and it really developed me as a person,” she said. “It’s not something you leave behind.
“There’s a lot of things it has instilled in my fighting, and work, and school, and things like that. A lot of it has to do with adaptability; the ability to adapt and overcome obstacles; discipline and honoring yourself and honoring your comment.”
Holliday (1-0) returns to Invicta on Saturday in Kansas City to take on fellow up and comer Miranda Maverick (1-0) in a main card 115-pound bout.
“I think she’s a pretty well-rounded fighter, but I feel I’m a little more developed than her,” said Holliday of Maverick. “It will be interesting to see how the fight plays out because her strengths and weaknesses, because she’s more well-rounded than my last opponent.
“I basically have to feel her out and put her where she’s most uncomfortable. I’m going to use my conditioning and athleticism against here. In mentality and mental toughness, I do have an advantage. I think it’s going to be an exciting fight.”
With her first full year of pro fighting ahead of her, Holliday is intent on finishing out 2017 as a champion.
“Basically I want to chip away at the top, and I don’t care who I have to go through,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who you put in front of me, as long as I keep getting fights and moving my way up. I want that title. Definitely I’m moving on up and am going to do big things.”
