Before Holly Holm picked apart Ronda Rousey with her superior striking Saturday night at UFC 193, she had a physical game plan on how to do it. ADVERTISING Before Holly Holm picked apart Ronda Rousey with her superior striking Saturday
Before Holly Holm picked apart Ronda Rousey with her superior striking Saturday night at UFC 193, she had a physical game plan on how to do it.
She also came into the biggest moment of her fighting career with a specific mental approach for how to handle the UFC’s biggest star in the middle of one of the most dominant stretches in any sport, let alone mixed martial arts.
“I didn’t want to look across and say I’m fighting Ronda Rousey,” Holm said. “I just wanted to look across and say I’m fighting Ronda.”
The distinction there is far larger than one two-syllable word. Ronda Rousey was the undefeated women’s bantamweight champion, the one who finished her three previous fights in a total of 64 seconds, the one who let only one opponent make it out of the first round ever.
Holm made it out of the first round Saturday in Melbourne, Australia, and she did it in a manner not yet seen in MMA. She dominated the dominator. By the time the fight came to an end 59 seconds into the second round, Holm left the superstar fighter, Hollywood actress and magazine cover girl bloodied in the center of the octagon with a split lip.
“She’s been able to win in devastating fashion because she’s imposed her will on other girls,” Holm said of Rousey (12-1, 6-1 UFC). “Every fight is a different journey. I was worked up but definitely relaxed. I kept telling myself it’s right now, don’t get too relaxed.”
Holm (10-0, 3-0), a former world boxing and kickboxing champion, fought calmly and intelligently. She used her distance and range to connect with crisp, clean left hands to Rousey’s face.
The final series of strikes went like this: Holm left leg kick to Rousey’s face, Rousey to the floor, three punches from Holm. Referee Herb Dean then stepped in to end the bout and begin a new narrative.
“This fight was tough for me mentally,” Holm said. “I can’t tell you how many times I cried in the gym, leading up to this.”
“I don’t think you can prepare yourself if you’re not aware of what can happen. She’s been the most dominant athlete.”
Holm said a rematch with Rousey would “make sense” for her first title defense.
“Obviously, she’s completely bummed out and depressed but that’s it,” UFC president Dana White said of Rousey, who went to the hospital after the fight. “This was one of those moments in fighting that makes it crazy and exciting.”
