They said she would never lose. However, on Saturday night at UFC 193, Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey. Holm has become the new UFC Bantamweight Champion. Holm’s boxing career included defending her boxing titles 18 times in three different weight classes. By contrast, in one night as a mixed martial artist, she has taken the combat sports world by storm. Do you believe in unlikelihoods? Rousey was not supposed to lose. But, UFC 193 proves that no one is unbeatable in an octagon.
The Kick Heard Round the World
Rousey had been the top draw in the UFC and was reaching a level of popularity comparable to Muhammad Ali. Dana White, the president of the UFC, has said repeatedly that the only reason females came into the octagon, was Rousey’s meteoric ascent in the fight game. Now, one perfectly placed roundhouse kick has stopped all of Rousey’s momentum.
Despite the joy of Rousey haters, her dominance in the octagon and her great looks made her a household name in about five years. Can Rousey recover both mentally and physically from her first defeat? We don’t know. Holly Holm proved there is more than one great female fighter in the UFC, but, Rousey’s true talent is her ability to transcend combat sports. She’s headlined pay-per-views, pushed female mixed martial arts into the mainstream, and convinced a skeptical audience that women athletes can be badasses inside an octagon, on a red carpet, or on the big screen. Without Ronda, there would be no Paige VanZant on reality dancing shows or female WWE performers main eventing a primetime cable program.
Lost Her Smile?
We can’t underestimate the significance of the Holly Holm victory of Ronda Rousey. Rousey took a significant beating and doesn’t exactly look like her recent appearance on the Tonight Show. She was taken to an Australian hospital after the match and expected to need a good deal of recovery time, before her next match. Let’s hope Rowdy Ronda Rousey is on her feet sooner than later. Congratulations to Holly Holm on her resounding victory.
The video clip is courtesy of the Obnoxious Boston Fan on Twitter.