LIKE FRIDAY MOVIE, RONDA GOT “KNOCKED THE **** OUT!
Night, Night Ronda!
Los Angeles,CA– Ronda Rousey (12-1) was supposed to be an unstoppable wrecking machine. How ironic it is for her to be knocked out in just over a round by former boxer Holly Holm (33-2-3, 9 KOs as a boxer) at UFC 193. Having dabbled in amateur kickboxing in her youth, Holly’s first love was boxing. Holm had won boxing titles at super lightweight (140lb.), welterweight (147), and super welterweight (154) going into Saturday night, and she now adds a UFC bantamweight (135) belt to her collection.
20-1 UNDERDOG SCHOOLS ROUSEY
From the opening bell, it was clear that Holm was in control. She battered Rousey’s face with straight lefts and right hooks from her southpaw boxing stance, and even managed to take the Olympic judoka down. By the time the second round began, a bloodied Rousey was visibly exhausted. After stuffing another takedown attempt from Rousey, Holm landed a head-kick of doom that concussed the ex-champ. The followup punches were merely a formality. The reign of Rousey was obliterated 59 seconds into round 2 in Australia.
END OF THE HYPE?
The UFC built Rousey into a cash-cow, and her drawing power will likely decrease significantly now. She already seemed to have a foot out the door going into the fight, and rumors of a poor training camp have only stoked that fire. This is a crushing, debilitating loss that will be very difficult to overcome. It was a bit ridiculous for anyone with 12 fights (in a weak division) to be considered on the level of a Tyson to begin with, but that hype has now come to an abrupt halt.
DID RONDA BECOME AN ASSHOLE?
She went from beloved MMA star to irritating heel over the past couple fights, so many have been rejoicing at her demise. Rousey believed in her own hype a bit too much, and it cost her in the end. She talked about “falling in love with boxing” going into this fight. Well, she certainly received a boxing lesson. A better one than her coach Edmund Tarverdyan ever gave her. It will be difficult for Rousey to bounce back, but I would not bet against someone with her level of determination and tenacity.
JOANNA CHAMPION STAYS UNDEFEATED
It wasn’t as easy as her last few fights, but UFC strawweight (115) champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk (11-0) got the win. She beat Valerie Letourneau (8-4) badly over 5 (five minute) rounds, but the Canadian held tough. It was a good showcase win for the Polish native Jedrzejczyk, who is becoming a star. It is doubtful she could garner the hype that Ronda Rousey has, but the champ is skilled and fun to watch.
MARK HUNT SETTLES THE SCORE
Heavyweight (265) Mark Hunt (11-10-1), more commonly known as the “Super Samoan,” needed only 3:41 to knockout Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (19-8-1) in their rematch. Both guys might want to hang it up, as Hollywood type Bigfoot is now endangering his health. New Zealand’s Hunt may have nothing left to prove, but the UFC wants to return in late 2016 with a Hunt challenging the winner of the next UFC heavyweight title bout between champion Fabrice Verdum and titleholder Cain Velasquez. Still, this was a decent action fight and one that made sense going in.
Zack “Attack” Young
HOLLY HOLM PUTS RONDA ROUSEY TO SLEEP