No one expected it… but Holly Holm upset UFC star Ronda Rousey, shocking the world with a knockout victory on Saturday night (Nov. 14) at UFC 193.
She is now the new UFC women’s Bantamweight Champ.
Holm was on her game from the beginning, stunning the champ with jabs and keeping her at a distance in the opening round, and becoming the first fighter to win a round against the previously undefeated Rousey.
Then, in Round 2, she landed a huge left kick to the head, sending Rousey to the mat and knocking her out cold. Holm immediately pounced, throwing down thunderous hammer fists before the referee jumped in and called a stoppage at 59 seconds into the round.
“I don’t know, I’m trying to take it all in. This is crazy!” Holm said in the post-fight interview inside the cage. “Getting in here, I just felt so much support — I thought, ‘How can I not do this with all this support?’ I had the best coaching, from standup to grappling to wrestling.
“I have to say, everything we worked on presented itself in the fight. Every grab she tried to get, on the cage, I have not spent this much time in the gym before any fight in my life.”
There was some bad blood between the two before the fight. They got into it at the weigh-in, and Rousey refused to touch gloves before the opening round… so Holm is probably feeling pretty good.
Rousey’s record falls to 12-1, notching her first loss, while 34-year-old Holm remains undefeated at 10-0… and becomes the new champ.