Holly Holm hands Ronda Rousey first MMA loss at UFC 193
UFC 193 delivered a visual never seen before.
Ronda Rousey, the transcendent star of the UFC with the movie deals, magazine covers and endorsement deals, stood in the center of the octagon with her head dropped and her face . . . bloodied.
The woman who brought women into the UFC and then beat them all up in seconds rather than minutes had -- gasp! -- lost a mixed martial arts fight for the first time in her life.
The painter of this picture of a bloodied, fallen star was Holly Holm, "The Preacher's Daughter." She did so with the repeated use of a straight left hand and supreme striking, highlighted by a devastating left kick in the opening minute of the second round.
Holm delivered the knockout shot in Melbourne, Australia. It resonated across the globe as Holm became the new UFC women's bantamweight champion. She landed a massive left leg kick to Rousey's head as Rousey had her back turned and was turning around to face Holm.
Holm (10-0, 3-0 UFC) then moved in and landed a handful of punches to Rousey before referee Herb Dean stopped the bout 59 seconds into the second round.
"I'm trying to take it in, but it's crazy," an ecstatic Holm said as a UFC record crowd of 56,214 fans at Etihad Stadium cheered.
Holm and Rousey won fight of the night, each earning a $50,000 bonus. Holm won another $50,000 for her performance of the night bonus.
Rousey did not conduct an in-cage interview after the fight and was taken to a nearby hospital.
“Obviously, she's completey bummed out and depressed but that’s it,” UFC president Dana White said about his post-fight conversation with Rousey.
Holm dominated Rousey (12-1, 6-1) throughout the entire fight, controlling it with her distance and striking. A multi-time world champion in boxing and kickboxing, Holm regularly landed her straight left, causing Rousey's nose and lip to bleed.
Rousey continued to push the pace and chased after Holm, something Holm said she and her camp at Team Jackson Winkeljohn expected her to do. Rousey, who won her previous three fights in a total of 64 seconds, was wild with her striking the entire fight.
"We figured her aggression was coming, if it didn’t that’s okay, but with footwork and my career we figured she wouldn’t give me that space," Holm said. "There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears but it was all worth it.”
Holm was technical in her striking and remained poised in the moment as she pulled off one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history, right up there with East Meadow's Matt Serra beating Georges St-Pierre.
"I didn't want to kick her in the body so she could hold on to it," Holm said, referring to Rousey's background as a former Olympic bronze medalist in judo.
Holm blocked Rousey's first attempt at a judo throw in the first round but still went to the ground with Rousey in that exchange. Holm was able to defend and fight off Rousey's signature armbar attempt and bring the fight back to the feet.
Never before had Rousey looked so average in an MMA fight. Never before had she fallen to the canvas bloodied and rendered helpless by another fighter. Never before had she fought Holly Holm.
"Tonight was one of those moments," White said. "This was one of those moments in fighting that makes it crazy and exciting."
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
More New York Sports
More MMA
