Anyone with even a slight presence on social media has already heard about it. You’ve likely encountered the headlines ad nauseum, or perhaps even watched the meme-ified video more than a dozen times. Well, here it is again: UFC superstar Ronda Rousey suffered a blistering knockout loss at the hands of Holly Holm at UFC 193.
The wealth of attention being given to this defeat is understandable, given how unforeseen the outcome was. Rousey had not only gone undefeated through the first 12 matches of her career, but had famously done so by way of knockout wins that could fit the length of one seven second Vine. And Holm, despite entering the match with a formidable track record — 10 total wins under her belt, seven of them being knockouts — was the clear underdog given her lack of notoriety.
Yet, four minutes in, Rousey found herself staring up at a victorious Holm and despite what many suggest in the wake of it, Rousey’s loss should not be particularly definitive in assessing her skill as a fighter. Anybody who follows Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) will tell you it is a sport about styles, and how these different styles manage to either complement or work against each other.
Rousey — who is a Judo specialist and a black belt in Jiu Jitsu — has been a dynamic fighter due to her incredible ability to control the pace of the fight. Yet, stylistically, Holm — a kickboxing world champion and former Bantamweight boxer — was well-suited to exploit a Judo specialist like Rousey.
And so, quite masterfully, she did. During the match, Holm was able to control the distance against Rousey and work her combinations. In knowing that Rousey’s ground game would leave her outmatched, Holm managed to keep the fight standing and work her kicks and combos with much more accuracy than Rousey.
Rousey was largely considered unstoppable, as many other great fighters during the peak of their career.
Yet while most fans prefer to believe that dominant fighters don’t lose, the reality is that even the greatest fighters have lost: Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Anderson Silva … the list goes on. And like those fighters, Rousey’s road to redeeming herself will be long and arduous, but she has the ability and will to do so.
She will definitely need to start by working on her ability to fight skilled boxers. Given how her previous fights ended so quickly, her striking ability was previously left untested.
The knockout she suffered against Holm was devastating, yes. But in many ways will not only benefit her as a fighter, but also the long term development of women’s MMA. By exposing the chinks in Rousey’s armor, Holm has given Rousey another aspect of her game to work on and change. Rousey has never suffered a loss, let alone such a decisive one, which means she will definitely come back a stronger fighter and develop boxing skills.
Moreover, this loss will go a long way to cement women’s MMA as a sport with wider-appeal. The growth of individual sports, such as MMA, is always heavily reliant on rivalries: even the most marginal fans tune in to watch them and support their favorite fighters. From the looks of it, Rousey and Holm will be a legendary rivalry. President Dana White and the UFC will reap the rewards for years to come. Now, there’s a new champion and name who everyone will recognize and Rousey will have an opportunity to earn her title back.
