With Ronda Rousey’s recent loss to Nunez lowering her record to 12-2 we look back to a time when the once unbeatable champion of the bantam weight division had lost her throne. Ronda Rousey vs Holly Holmes, one of the most unexpected title fight outcomes in UFC History.
Ronda Rousey was at the height of her career in the UFC with an undefeated record of 12-0. The face of the women’s UFC Division at the time, who had also been the Bantam weight champion defending it six times prior to Holly Holmes. With the previous fight at UFC 190 between Rousey and Correia lasting only a mere 34 seconds before Rousey KO’s her opponent to end the fight, this only contributed to boosting Rousey’s fame and seemingly unbeatable character.
When the main card event was announced at UFC 193 with the title fight being against Ronda Rousey and new opponent Holly Holmes many had thought of it to be a one sided massacre for Ronda. This had reflected in the betting odds of the fight which had placed Holmes at +525 as the underdog.
Prior to the fight Holly Holmes was 9-0. However, her abilities were questioned on how they would par against an opponent such as Rousey. Holly Holmes had 6 KO/TKO out of her 9 fights. However, none of them were in the first round while Rondo Rousey had 11 first round victories out of her 12. Not only that but Ronda Rousey had one of the best ground games in the UFC due to her extensive background in Judo.
In the fight however Holly Holmes played to her advantages keeping Ronda Rousey at a distance and striking Rousey from afar which steadily tired out the titan. Not only that but Holmes successfully dodged most of Rousey’s punches and even a clinch, which clearly showed her as a worthy adversary from round 1.
In round 2 people continued to see Holmes’ dominance against Rousey with one hard strike weakening Rousey and the second strike causing her to stumble. 59 seconds into the second no one would have been able to fathom what would come next, one strong high kick to a seemingly fragile Rousey caused her to get knocked out cold.
As a result of this people witnessed what others would call “the impossible” – the 12-0 Goliath Ronda Rousey had been taken out by Holly Holmes who took the crown as the new Bantam weight champion. Many call Holmes’ win simply an off night for Rousey, while others praise Holly Holmes’ ability to prey on Rousey’s weaknesses. One thing is for certain however, UFC 193 would go down in history as one of the biggest upsets in the sport.