#5 Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey – UFC 193 – 11/14/15
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Perhaps no other fight has altered the trajectory of an MMA career quite like this one.
Coming into UFC 193, Ronda Rousey was on top of the world. Arguably the biggest star in the UFC and possibly the biggest PPV draw too, Ronda had already won two fights in 2015, first submitting top contender Cat Zingano in a matter of seconds, and then knocking out Brazilian Bethe Correia in under a minute as well.
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When she was booked to headline UFC 193 against former boxing champion Holly Holm, most figured it would be business as usual for her.
Holm had debuted in the UFC a few months prior but hadn’t looked like a world-beater, instead, stuttering to wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau, neither of whom were ranked in the top ten.
The likelihood of her being able to stay on the outside and outpoint Ronda with her striking, while at the same time avoiding the clinch and takedown seemed pretty remote. However, Rousey came out more aggressive than ever before, looking to close the distance into the clinch by swinging wild punches.
This played right into Holm’s hands; the challenger basically acting as the matador to Rousey’s bull.
It didn’t help that Rousey’s trainer, Edmond Tarverdyan, seemed happy with the gameplan and seemed to believe Ronda was winning when in reality she was charging right into counterpunches throughout the round.
Rousey managed one takedown, but Holm avoided the trademark armbar and escaped to her feet. The second round didn’t last too long as Ronda was staggered by a left hand and finally knocked out cold by a left head kick.
The reign of terror was over and the UFC had a new champion in one of the biggest upsets of all time, but in hindsight, the fight was somehow an even bigger deal than we realised at the time.
Most people expected the UFC to immediately book a rematch between the two. Instead, Rousey basically fell off the radar, and rumours abounded that she’d gained a tonne of weight and had battled with depression following the loss.
When she did emerge from her hiatus, the division had another new Champion, Brazilian Amanda Nunes. As Rousey’s reputation preceded her, she was granted an immediate title shot upon her return, but that went even worse for her than the Holm fight.
This time, Ronda was knocked out in under a minute. In reality, despite the Nunes loss being more brutal and far quicker, it was the Holm fight that really altered the path of Ronda’s career.
Before that she’d carried an aura of invincibility like no other fighter had done in MMA really. Afterwards though – perhaps as a backlash to her massive fame prior to the knockout – she was treated as a joke and a meme online, and it was felt that her style had been exposed for good.
While I think a change of trainer and a re-think of her gameplans could revitalise her, the likelihood is that she’s probably done with MMA. Which makes her loss to Holly Holm the ultimate career-changing defeat.
Any more career-altering fights you can think of? Please tell us!
Until next time....
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