1) Who is Cornelia Holm? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I'm from Gothenburg, Sweden and I'm a professional MMA fighter. I don't really have any hobbies outside of training but I like to read, draw and sew as a way to relax and recover. It's almost like a terpeutic and meditative thing for me, when I feel like I need to take focus away from fighting for a moment.
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
I've been doing MMA for 7 years now and professionally for 2. I started wrestling as a kid but never reached the highest level and due to injuries and new chapters in my life I quit wrestling when I was 19. I took some time off of sports and it took me almost 4 years before I found MMA and fell in love instantly. I feel like that's the first and only time I've come across true passion in my life. It's something that I was sure from the start I was going to be the best in the world at and I still feel that 7 years later.
3) Whats been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)
I think my biggest challenges lies ahead. I've only had one loss in my last 15 fights, including amateur, and that was probably the hardest thing I've dealt with so far. Going into my second professional fight I was a big favorite and all the pressure was on me. I felt invincible and was sure to beat this girl, then I didn't. I lost on a split decision, in my hometown, with family and all my friends present. That disappointment was hard to deal with at first. But I got over it pretty fast, looking at it like I probably needed that loss to develop further and take the next step in my career. Everyone loses at some point so I think that was an important lesson.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
I usually never take time off after a fight. Maybe rest for a week but I try to stay in shape all year round. My fight camps are somewhere between 1 and 3 months and that's the only time I diet (I love sweets). In the beginning of the camp my calories lies around 1700 kcal to be down to almost 1200 in the end depending on how much weight I have left to cut. Training wise I do around 10-12 sessions/15hrs per week, where most focus is on specific mma training during a camp and maybe 30% strength/conditioning. Often more focus on condition than strength in camp.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition? (And How has it changed your focus for the future).
I've learned so much this past year. The most important thing for me, but also the hardest, is the importance of mental training and focus. I think most fighters and probably athletes over all can agree on how important your mental strategies are in competition. In fighting it can be everything if your opponents skill set and strengths are similar to yours. Who can handle pressure the best, who can keep focus during the whole fight. Those things can be trained and I'd say that's my most important lesson this year. I consider myself being mentally tough but there's levels to that toughness and I want to level up in everything I do.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
My favorite cheat meal is ice cream and cookies! Every day I'd chose that I think. And lasagna or a really good gnocchi dish (but that's hard to find sometimes)
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
The supplement I could not live without would probably be amino acids. It would be hard to drink so much water that I need if I didn't use that. Other than that I think I could manage without most of the supplements and vitamins/minerals I take.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I'm not sure I would do anything different if I had to start my journey from scratch. I'm very happy with my career so far. Sometimes I can think "what if I started MMA at an earlier age" but I think I started at the exact right time. When I was mature enough to really put my all into a sport like this. I wasn't ready before, and if I'd started earlier I might not have had the background in wrestling that has helped me so much.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
I've never been big on idols, never had any really, not even as a kid or teenager. But there's alot of people that inspire me. My coach Joakim Engberg is the first one I come to think about, then I'd say my friends and training partners Lina Länsberg and Pannie Kianzad. Also some of the young fighters at my gym, that shows up every day an hour before practice start, to get extra time on the mats. Every person that are eager to learn and dedicated and passionate about something is inspiring to me.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
For those who start doing MMA my advice would be to listen carefully to your coaches, try to remember all the smart things they teach you and practice practice practice. It's an intricate sport with so much to learn, you need to accept that you'll never be finished learning. Also surround yourself with good people and seek out the best training partners always.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
I don't want to jinx 2020 but I feel like it's going to be a great year. 2019 was amazing and a big year for my career but in 2020 I'll take the next step and hopefully that step is into an UFC octagon.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
My nickname is Conny Future and that's where you find me on Instagram and Facebook. @connyfuture
