First off, why is Boxing Base reporting on a UFC fight? Partly because Ronda Rousey recently appeared on the cover of The RING magazine, and also because Holly Holm is a former boxing champ. And just because…well, this was one of the biggest combat sport upsets of the year!
Rousey, the Golden Girl of UFC, star of action movies and countless endorsements, was a huge favorite going into the fight. She was picked to win, and in quick, savage fashion. Her foe, Holly Holm, a former boxing champion-turned Octagon fighter, was viewed as just another piece of meat waiting to get pounded into oblivion.
But as we now know, that didn’t happen. In fact, this Rousey vs Holm wasn’t even competitive. Not even a bit.
Holm showcased exceptional ring (Octagon?) generalship and footwork, perhaps owed to her boxing background, and took advantage of the aggressive, charging style of Rousey. Holm, who fought in the southpaw stance, couldn’t miss with hard counter left hands throughout the short, brutal encounter, and had killed much of Rousey’s spirit after just the 1st round.
Blood continued to leak from Rousey’s mouth as she was pounded with more lefts in the 2nd. Eventually Rousey lost her footing, arguably from both attrition and Holm’s assault, and wilted to the canvas. But as soon as Rousey returned to her feet, the right side of her face was smashed by a left turning kick from Holm, which immediately dropped her to the canvas.
Holm then pounced on her defenseless victim and began pounding with her fists, leaving the referee no choice but to call the fight off. And so it was written into the history books. Holm had done the unthinkable: not just beat UFC’s unbeaten superstar, but obliterate her. And, though it almost seems like an afterthought right now, become the new UFC Bantamweight champion.
This fight has made an earthquake in the UFC universe, and also, kind of, on the boxing scene. Perhaps I’m reaching here with this, but did the fact Holly Holm was a former boxer aid greatly in neutralising a seemingly unbeatable opponent? That’s something to mull over, no doubt – even something both boxing and MMA fans can discuss.
Who am I kidding? The Twittersphere is going to be ablaze with verbal expletives from both sides now, isn’t it?
