In shocking fashion, Holly Holm (10-0) knocked out Ronda Rousey (12-1) at UFC 193 to take her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title late Saturday night in Australia.
She dominated Rousey the entire fight until knocking her out cold with a vicious kick to the head 59 seconds into the second round. The odds in Las Vegas were steep against at -2000. It was the biggest upset victory in UFC history odds wise.
Holm was emotional in the cage afterwards when talking to UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The win is the biggest upset in modern day sports since Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson for the Boxing Heavyweight Championship of the World back in Tokyo, Japan February 10, 1990.
It is 25 years later and the impact of this result will be every bit as heralded as the knockout of Tyson.
Rousey did everything she could to take down Holm and couldn’t do anything to utilize her strengths. Holm was well prepared and stopped Rousey at every turn. Rousey tried taking her down and Holm’s constant jabs kept the champ at bay.
At one point, Rousey swung and whiffed completely, embarrassingly falling to the mat. It was a clear sign the night belonged to Holm.
The event was the first that the promotion has held in Melbourne and also the largest gate in UFC history. Rousey was wrong to take Holm so lightly as she had quote the impressive pedigree coming into the fight.
Holm is a former professional boxer and kick boxer. During her boxing career, she defended her titles 18 times in three weight classes. For Holm, this was her only 10th MMA fight and just her 3rd in the UFC.
She is a total sweetheart, her peers love her, the media loves her, and now the fans of MMA will get to see exactly why she is one of the best things to happen to this sport in a long time.
Rousey was the biggest draw in MMA history, and was the face of the MMA. To see her laying on the mat out cold was stunning. One had to wonder if perhaps her rising star finally got to her. In October 2015, Rousey became the first female athlete to guest host ESPN’s Sportscenter. Rousey has had a range of commercial partnerships, including mobile network operator Metro PCS.
Rousey appeared nude on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s 2012 Body Issue. In May 2013, Rousey was ranked 29 on the Maxim Hot 100. Rousey co-starred in The Expendables 3. In 2015, she appeared in the film Furious 7, and played herself in the film Entourage. Just a few months ago on September 9, 2015, it was announced that Rousey would star in a reboot of Roadhouse.
Perhaps it is time for the woman who just 24 hours ago was seen as the world’s most dominant athlete to go back to being an athlete and not a mega star. She will have to come back and dominate Holm in a rematch or else she may have to live with the black mark of people calling her a “media creation” for the rest of her life.
Only time will tell.
Until next time, fight fans!
Great recap Vince! Oddsmakers really don’t understand teh sport if they are making Holm a -2000 dog. Wow.