Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey, the “greatest fighter in the world,” the undefeated bantamweight champion, has been defeated.
She met her match with Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm, the most decorated professional boxer to transition to MMA, who truly put up what UFC spectators are calling “the perfect fight.” Ronda Rousey is definitely one of the most skilled grapplers the sport of mixed martial arts has seen, usually ending her matches on the ground, either winning by submission through a brutal arm bar or winning by knockout. However, for the first time, Rousey ended up on the ground, this time being the one knocked out, bloodied and disoriented. UFC fans all over were astonished, especially considering Rousey’s recent successes.
Rousey has shown incredible improvement, and has been rather impressive in her most recent matches with her time, winning within half a minute of the first round in her past three fights. She was in for a shock in Melbourne, Australia as Holm not only pushed through to the second round, but dominated in the first round and won very quickly in the second.
There were a number of fans who weren’t surprised, and were completely confident in the challenger’s skill and level. As a kickboxer, Holm’s strengths were within her strikes. At 5’8”, Holm was 4” taller than the champion, therefore giving her a good reach against Rousey. Her reach, combined with the strength behind her strikes, was proven to be extremely useful; Holm landed numerous head shots on the champion, and it could be seen that Rousey was slightly disoriented by the end of the first round. It was predicted by many that if Rousey took Holm to the ground it would be the champion’s fight, but if Holm continued to keep Rousey on her feet, it would be the challenger’s.
The degree of shock was clear in UFC commentator Joe Rogan’s voice when Rousey took Holm to the ground in the first round, but Holm quickly utilized the grappling technique and got out and back on her feet again. It was even more of a shock when Holm took Rousey down herself and got her into close guard; even Rogan questioned whether it was a smart move, but it did turn out to be well worthwhile as Holm immediately stood up and moved away from a tired Rousey.
The most impressive highlights of the match were within the last thirty seconds, as Rousey began to corner Holm and threw in a fast left hook which Holm dodged even faster, ducking under Rousey’s arm and tripping the champion as she moved out of the way. The knockout followed quickly soon after, with a swift roundhouse to Rousey’s neck. Holm was on top of Rousey the second her body hit the ground and began to throw hammerfist strikes to her head; she was promptly pushed off Rousey by the referee. Rousey was down and the bantamweight champion title was with Holm, faster than the audience could process.
There were many conflicted opinions leading up to this fight, especially from Rowdy fans, expressed on different social media platforms. Many felt as though Rousey was becoming too conceited, as she was referring to herself often as the “greatest fighter in the world,” though many argued that she truly was and she wasn’t wrong in saying so. The most conflicting event, however, was the weigh-ins the day prior to the match and Rousey’s attitude that came with it.
Things got more aggressive than hoped for at the weigh-ins during the face-off. It seemed as though Rousey and Holly kept pushing each other’s flexed arms as they posed for the face-off and Rousey ended up stumbling. She was prepared to get right in Holm’s face again and had to be pulled away. Directly after being pulled away, Rousey stated “She put her fist in my face. I didn’t touch her, she touched me.” She also proceeded to call Holly fake, claiming that she could “see right through” Holly Holm’s “fake, sweet act.” Holm said nothing, and didn’t show any signs of aggression toward Rousey. Shortly after the weigh-ins were over, Rousey also uploaded a close-up video of the small scuffle along with an angry caption, calling the challenger “fake,” and a “cheap shot” with “fake respect” and “fake humility;” she even added the phrase “and I’m really going to enjoy the beating I give you.” With this, a number of Rowdy fans were conflicted, as Rousey was getting more heated while Holm kept her cool.
This interaction was similar to that leading up to Rousey’s last match against Bethe Correia, in which the majority of the audience was rooting for Rowdy. During the weigh-ins, Correia had also gotten in Rousey’s face for the face-off and yelled at her, while Rousey held the same expression and said nothing, keeping her cool. That match had lasted only 34 seconds, with Rousey dominating.
It’s being heavily debated whether Rousey lost due to Holm’s remarkable skill or due to the fact that she did not stay levelheaded prior to and during the match. Nonetheless, it has been a turning point for the UFC as Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey faces her first loss after an incredible run, as she had been ready to make it to retirement undefeated.