100 Acre Wood Preserve
Houston, Texas
[The famous trail in her hometown of Houston had preserved it’s natural discretion of the frizzled oak trees and the dirty path carved for those who want to enjoy the walk. However, under the hot sun, it was a group of fighters from the Holmes MMA and Wrestling Academy taking off in a challenge of endurance. Serenity Holmes, leading the pack, focused on maintaining a consistent pace, sweating through the harsh challenge and controlling her breathing. On the other hand, her head coach and father, Andre Holmes, along with their two other coaches, John Karthan and John Hartman, were next to him watching their fighters train.]
ANDRE HOLMES: “Maintain that pace and give me three more laps!”
[Serenity continues to lead the pack and she’s pushing herself to remain at the head of the other athletes. Another angle of the video shows the trail passing through the trees, near a small lake and through different terrains. Time passes by and the athletes all make it to the end with Serenity taking a moment to sit down on a nearby log in the open space and control her breathing. The cameraman gets a close up angle and she’s leaned forward, cooling down.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “Yep, they love pushing us every day and every night but I love it. My cardio, my pacing and my endurance is improving. I can go more than five rounds inside the cage but it’s only three rounds we’re dealing with. Either way, I have to set the pace and dictate the fight.”
[Later in the evening where the sun begins to descend, on top of a hill is Serenity practicing her boxing, footwork and combinations with John Karthan, the striking coach, holding up black mitts. Serenity, in her southpaw stance, is creating jabs and long combinations backing up but John emphasizes her to come forward in short-range bursts and learning how to clinch while doing dirty boxing and elbows.]
ANDRE HOLMES: “One of the things we need to develop for Serenity is having to learn to fight inside the pocket. Eugenie will come forward and she loves to strike on the outside. She’s well experienced so we need to make sure Serenity can fight on the inside and dominate in the clinch as well.”
[Whenever John moves forward into close range, Serenity applies a Muay Thai Clinch to immediately work on striking the mitts with her knees or to the side of the head with elbows. The other defensive measures is to gain underhooks and use shoulder strikes to the chin or foot stomps. However, the Muay Thai clinch gets stronger and her clinch strikes are getting sharper. The scene ends with Serenity and her coaches staring at the sunset on top of the hill after a hard day’s work.]
The Holmes Residence
Houston, Texas
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Welcome to the 2024 Union Grand Prix Awards!”
[The Holmes family has always been accommodating for moments such as these. The living area was large enough to have her family, coaches and her closest team-mates, Verona Jimenez, Robin Kelson, and Mason Lambert, all together. She sat on the couch with her family, Verona and Robin on the adjacent couch and Mason enjoying a nice cold beer with the coaches standing in the kitchen nearby all watching Kayla hosting the awards on a segment for the Union Grand Prix in front of the television.]
VERONA JIMENEZ: “Serenity, you nervous?”
SERENITY HOLMES: “Shut up!”
[Everyone else laughs but Serenity sinks in the couch holding onto a pillow as Kayla begins the announcements.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “And the Prospect Fighter of 2024 is none other than…Serenity Holmes!”
MASON LAMBERT: “LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOO!!!”
[Everyone around her immediately applauds and cheers Serenity who is in her comfortable clothes and shoves her face into the pillow to hide herself from laughing too hard. She lifts her head up and smiles, her sister, Athena, hugs her on the side and her step-mother, Kaitlyn, gives her a hug too. On the screen, it shows some of her highlights over the year of 2024 and she smiles proudly at how far she’s come.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “Never thought I’d win this but I’m very happy to receive the award and to have the fans support me. 2024 was insane. Looking back at it now, the fact that I went from unranked to top five and now this? Yeah, never let anyone else tell you differently. This is basically my way of saying I’m here.”
[The final shot of the scene is outside in the backyard where it is at night and the outside lights are on. Everyone except for Serenity and the children has a drink or beer. They stand together and Robin is the one to make the toast.]
ROBIN KELSON: “Congratulations to Serenity on her big award! Cheers everyone!!!”
[They all come together and touch their drinks with Serenity clapping from the lovely support.]
Holmes MMA and Wrestling Academy
Houston, Texas
JOHN HARTMAN: “Five minutes of rolls, try to go for submissions immediately! Go!”
[Inside the Holmes MMA and Wrestling Academy facility, there’s a plethora of fighters on the mat rolling with each other. The camera focuses on Serenity Holmes working with Jordan Parker, both of them are standing and grappling with each other, Jordan securing the underhooks but Serenity standing her ground until she’s tripped down to the mat. They scramble with Jordan getting into half guard but Serenity shuffles her hips to the side to shift him into full guard.]
JOHN HARTMAN: “Keep her close and don’t let him posture up. Control his arms and move your hips for the submission!”
[Jordan is doing his best to try and pass her guard but she scrambles again by pushing her foot on his hips and creating space to separate. However, he manages to get her back from behind but she does an Imari roll which helps her end up in side control from the scramble. Jordan scoots his hips again and puts her in half guard and they scramble until coming to the end of the round. Another scene cuts to Serenity along with other grapplers and fighters kneeling down in a circle with John Hartman holding a brown belt.]
JOHN HARTMAN: “So, we have a belt graduation today.”
[John walks around the fighters holding out the brown belt until stopping behind Serenity who looks around then realizes. She slowly stands up and the rest of her team applauds her as John ties the brown belt around her but she knows what’s next.]
JOHN HARTMAN: “Everyone get their belts! Serenity, line up!”
[There’s a passageway made by fighters standing on opposite ends. Serenity removes her shirt only showing her sports bra and her leggings. She walks down the path and the fighters slap her back with the belts where it sounds like whips being cracked. They cheer her but she’s getting smacked hard to which she smiles and yells out a bit until making it to the end of the line. The camera comes closer to see the marks on her back.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “You know if I don’t make it to my fight with Eugenie, you know why.”
[Jordan sneaks up and smacks her on the back with a belt and she turns around chasing him onto the mats with her coaches laughing from the playfulness. The shot ends with Serenity posing for the camera with her newly earned brown belt.]
The Higgins Hotel
New Orleans, Louisiana
FAN: “Good luck in your fight!”
SERENITY HOLMES: “Thank you!’
[Serenity is taking a couple pictures with some fans at the airport. Her team and coaches have picked up their bags and the camera tails them, following them to the exit where travel arrangements are made to bring them to their hotel. After their bags are packed in the back of the SUV’s, Serenity sits down in the backseat and the shot of her face staring out the window clear.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “We’re here. The days are getting closer and I’m ready for the fight. This is the biggest fight of my career so far and it’s very important I win this. My training has stepped up and even enjoying the thrills of being high on this great card means a lot.”
[After pulling up to the hotel, the team gets out and has their luggage with her. Serenity has the hoodie over her head, tired from the long flight, and at night time, it’s best to get some shut eye. Inside her room, it was a nice king sized bed with a view of New Orleans shining brightly in the night setting. Later, the camera cuts to the hotel swimming pool where she’s doing some cardio swimming exercises focusing on her breathing, technique and pacing.]
ANDRE HOLMES: “Another lap Serenity! Push yourself!”
[She finishes the lap and sits on the edge of the pool taking a moment to cool down. The camera does a close up and Serenity waves to the camera man.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “We push ourselves every chance we get. I’m stepping into the big leagues of the division. Eugenie’s been in this many times and it’s my first time in a top five fight. I’m not worried. I’m motivated. I asked for this and there’s no way I’m losing. I’m coming to win and become the next person to challenge for the belt.”
[The final shot in this portion of the scene is Serenity being grabbed by her dad and lifted on his shoulders before she’s thrown into the pool. Her team and partners laugh when she makes it to the surface where she flips him off. A round of applause as her dad takes a bow until getting pushed into the pool by one of the fighters and Serenity bursts out laughing from the jokes here team is doing.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “That’s what you get!
MEDIA DAY
New Orleans, Louisiana
INTERVIEWER: “Serenity, you’re the featured prelim of the main card. How does that make you feel?”
[The Smoothie King Center reserved a portion of the interior to host a stage, a banner and a small audience capacity for interviewers, journalists and media to begin with their questions and videos. Serenity sits on the chair in front of the desk holding the microphone with both hands excited to answer their questions.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “Very good. In fact, I’m pretty proud and it’s a lot of implications on this fight so it makes sense why we’re the featured prelim for the main card.”
INTERVIEWER: “You called out Eugenie Bombelles and Gianna Howard for this opportunity. Do you think you’re becoming a strong individual in the bantamweight division?”
[She smiled, giggled a little bit.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “Honestly, yeah. After 2024 and where I am now, I’d say that I’m one of the fighters that the fans and other fighters in the division are looking at. I’m currently in the conversation of potential champions and being the future of the division which is what I want. I’m very happy about where I’m at but I’m not comfortable or complacent until I’m champion and then move forward from there.”
INTERVIEWER: “Speaking of champions, Eugenie Bombelles is a former strawweight champion and she’s one of the best strikers in the division. What is the game plan as she has more experience than you?”
SERENITY HOLMES: “Yeah, she’s very good. She’s a top notch kickboxer. I think her and Gianna are the top strikers currently but I’m prepared. I have a great camp, a great team and I’m not just working on my striking. I’m working on all aspects of mixed martial arts and tying them together. So whether there’s an opening on the feet, clinch, or ground, we’re going to exploit every little opportunity and I’m going to bring an all-around game to the mix.”
[Serenity nods and looks off for one more question.]
INTERVIEWER: “Serenity, what do you have to say for everyone who thought you wouldn’t make it in your rookie year? You were named Prospect of the Year for 2024 so what is the response to the critics?”
SERENITY HOLMES: “…Nothing. I just let them talk the embarrassment out of their own ass.”
OPEN MATS
New Orleans, Louisiana
[Once again inside The Smoothie King Center, the open forum where the stage is set for fans and journalists are witnessing Serenity Holmes on the open mat platform doing her striking combinations mixing traditional kickboxing but also adding a spice of muay thai. She’s very fast and technical in her combinations, utilizing her footwork to get in and out and attacking from different angles especially with her striking coach coming forward. Music is playing in the background and the flashes of the camera are bright but she remains focused.]
JOHN KARTHAN: “Whenever she comes forward, get on the inside to stop her reach and let me see you do the clinch.”
[They continue with their gameplan and Serenity moves around but John explodes forward with the pads pretending to do straight punches. Serenity either blocks or moves her head to quickly get on the inside and apply the clinch whether through a body lock, underhooks or Muay Thai clinch. John holds the pads to the side of the face where she inflicts many elbows or instead, he moves the pads to the body and she transitions to the full Muay Thai clinch to deliver a flurry of knee strikes.]
JOHN HARTMAN: “Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!”
[Applying the Muay Thai Clinch, she whips John around using her arms and trips him down to the mat to side control. Serenity keeps him down and he holds the pad to his face for grounded elbows until taking his other arm to apply the Kimura. Once she has the arm, she torques on it and he taps. Serenity stands back up and helps her coach until turning around to receive applause from the audience.]
JOHN KARTHAN: “Give me some combinations ending with kicks and move after every combination!”
[The sound of her punches hitting the pads are very loud but her kicks whether from roundhouses, straight, spinning or any other style make a louder impact. Serenity focuses more on the roundhouse kicks to the body and the legs but front kicks to the head. However, after every combination, she angles away in different directions especially in the southpaw stance. Her coach fights in orthodox so her powerful body kick opens up to a stronger impact.]
JOHN KARTHAN: “Time!”
[It’s called to an end and Serenity hugs her striking coach but receives praise from the fans who came to see her training. She puts her gloves together and bows, waving to them, as a thankful gesture for showing up for her support.]
PROMOTIONAL DAY
New Orleans, Louisiana
SERENITY HOLMES: “Did you see that video of Alex and Zion?”
[The camera follows behind Serenity and her team walking through the backstage area of the venue for UGP 64. She’s being directed to the open room for her glove fitting, signing posters and taking pictures as they are almost days away from the fight. She’s watching the viral video of Zion causing a scene at Alex’s media day and then looks intently at him flipping the table. However, she looks at her coaches and bites her lip.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “Yeah, someone’s definitely getting knocked in that fight. I’m not missing that.”
[Later, she sits down at the table signing her signature on posters back to back. There’s a couple of other media personnel assisting but she’s joined by her team-mate, Mason Lambert, who appreciates being in her corner. On the other hand, she receives her gloves and begins to test them. Once she gives the approval to the coordinator, they lead her to a photograph area where the media personnel keep her in the frame of the camera. Flash photography begins as she poses for her pictures and then she starts shadow boxing for different video recordings.]
MASON LAMBERT: “You trying to show off Serenity?”
SERENITY HOLMES: “Yeah, someone has to show you how it’s done.”
[Mason gets a warning to keep it down as Serenity continues shadowboxing. The camera highlights him standing on the side with his arms folded watching her do her appointment for the media to get an insight on his commentary.]
MASON LAMBERT: “I’ll say that Serenity’s striking for someone so young is world class. She’s improved a lot and doesn’t stop at all. She loves MMA and she loves fighting. Die hard attitude and a beast.”
[The final photograph is her posing with her hands on her hips and she has a serious stare into the camera. Serenity gets the cue to leave and she removes the gloves handing it to the coordinator before stepping off the mat to be with her team. Mason pats her on the back and after changing, she’s back in her original clothes and walking through the halls looking into the camera recording her.]
SERENITY HOLMES: “UGP 64. I’m coming for you Eugienie and I’m going to beat you. See you very soon.”