Holly Holm demonstrated Saturday night that, shockingly, she could outmatch Ronda Rousey in a fight. But the 34-year-old New Mexico native still has a long way to go to match "Rowdy Ronda" as a UFC champion. And as a celebrity capable of transcending her sport? Let's hold off for now.
Holm, a former professional boxing world champion, knocked Rousey out 59 seconds into the second round at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. After a fast-paced first round, Holm unleashed a vicious left kick to Rousey’s face that sent the champion sprawling to the canvas. Holm then pounced on Rousey, delivering several blows to the head before the referee stepped in and stopped the bout.
As Rousey received medical attention, Holm leapt to her feet and ran around the octagon, smiling through her mouthguard as a stunned UFC record crowd of 56,214 looked on, digesting the biggest upset in UFC’s 22-year history.
“I have to say that everything that we worked on presented itself in the fight. Every grab that she tried to get and clinch on the cage, and I just had help with everything,” Holm said. “I have not spent this much time in the gym before any fight of my life.”
Rousey, who was clearly dazed after the knockout and bleeding from her lip, was transported to the hospital and reportedly “bummed out and depressed,” according to the Sydney Herald.
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Before this weekend, Holm (10-0) had fought only twice in the UFC, neither time in a main event.
She was a celebrity only in Albuquerque, the town where she grew up, a status owing to a boxing career during which 32 of her 38 pro bouts took place in her home town.
Beyond that, she was known to those who follow women’s boxing as well as MMA die-hards.
Now the question many are asking centers around a rematch with Rousey (12-1), who has grown into a true celebrity.
“A rematch is what a lot of people want to see,” UFC President Dana White told Fox Sports 1 after the fight. “Obviously ... biggest upset ever. When you look at how Ronda is revered — baddest woman on the planet — definitely.”
Rousey has made a splash everywhere from Hollywood to WrestleMania to late-night TV talk shows. Rousey has flipped the script for what has been a niche sport: When it comes to mainstream culture, sports or otherwise, people have been learning about the UFC through Rousey, not the other way around.
The UFC has increasingly monetized Rousey’s star power in her last three fights, all main events.
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The company doesn’t release pay-per-view buy rates, but reliable estimates by the Wrestling Observer newsletter report that a February bout with Cat Zingano sold to 600,000 households and an August date with Bethe Correia sold to 900,000. There’s no information yet available for UFC 193, but White told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday that the PPV buys were “trending over 1 million.”
The UFC has had seven pay-per-view events hit seven figures in its two-decade history, only one since 2010. That Rousey would hit that milestone is an indication that she is drawing in viewers from far beyond the sport’s core fan base.
Holm doesn’t have that celebrity-sized reach, and she doesn’t have the audaciousness to get there. She’s soft-spoken and courteous, living up to the nickname “The Preacher’s Daughter.”
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As for how Rousey and Holm will fare inside the octagon going forward, the gap between the new champ and the ex-champ might well narrow.
Before the weekend, Rousey had been not only unbeaten but virtually untouchable.
Only one of her previous bouts had made it out of the first round. Eight had succumbed in the first minute, including her three most recent conquests, who went down in 16, 14 and 34 seconds .
Holm, by contrast, had just the two previous UFC wins, both by decision, and had showed little of the command we saw from her Saturday night.
Before the Rousey fight, any glimmer of hope Holm was given centered on her boxing past, which armed her with a well-honed array of sharp strikes and some slick footwork. But without a power puncher pedigree — Holm had just nine knockouts in her 38 boxing matches — she was thought to be a sitting duck, with nothing to discourage Rousey’s aggression.
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But something different was seen from both women in their bout. Holm outclassed Rousey in a fight that took place largely on the feet, shining a glowing light on her striking skills and exposing Rousey’s shortcomings. Even when the fighters tangled in clinches and on the canvas — the domain where Rousey thrives and Holm was thought to have little chance — the challenger held her own.
When they meet again, the ex-champ is going to have to walk in the cage with a better plan.
Problem is, Holm trains with the best in the business, Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn. So she likely will walk in with an even better plan.
“I had so much love and support I just thought, ‘How can I not do this?’” Holm said from the ring. “This right here is priceless.”
This article includes material from news services.
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