To watch Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm full fight video highlights from UFC 193 last night click here!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight stars Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm threw down last night (Nov. 14, 2015) at UFC 193 inside Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
After winning a number of grudge matches -- and all the other ones -- in violent fashion, Rousey looked to have a challenge without any bad blood in Holm, but that all changed after some weigh-in shenanigans. Regardless, Rousey was definitely looking to add another arm to her mantle.
Meanwhile, Holm's quiet confidence leading up to the fight was something to behold, as she seemed quite undeterred by her vicious opponent. Last night, Holm had the chance to prove the world, and the odds makers, wrong.
Frankly, that's an understatement.
In a surprising turn of events, Rousey did not open up with her usual blitz, although she was definitely pressuring her opponent. For just over a minute, Holm successfully avoided most of her opponent's punches and the clinch, as she countered well.
Then, Rousey finally locked onto Holm. However, the former boxing champion successfully defended, breaking away from her opponent and returning to the center of the cage.
Next, something equally incredible happened. Rousey managed to land a hip toss and jump on an arm bar, but Holm slipped out of the hold and returned to her feet. As the fight wore on, Rousey began to get tagged by Holm's straight left hand, as Rousey's forward pressure and lack of head movement really hurt her.
Suddenly, Holm landed a takedown of her own. Though she let her opponent back up immediately, it was yet another insane moment just five minutes into the fight.
Shockingly, Holm clearly won the opening round, picking her opponent apart.
Things were about to get far crazier.
Holm opened up the second round strong as well, landing her left hand hard as Rousey tried to rush in. At one point, Holm ducked under Rousey's wild strikes and caused her to nearly fall on her face.
After that happened, Holm connected with another straight left that sent Rousey stumbling. As she stood back up and turned back towards Holm, "The Preacher's Daughter" sent up a high kick that knocked Rousey out cold.
Absolutely incredible.
Holm fought perfectly. She circled away from Rousey's bull rushes expertly and repeatedly countered while doing so, which frustrated Rousey and caused her to fade quickly. Even when Rousey did slow down, Holm remained composed and picked her opportunities, which resulted in the brutal head kick knockout.
Frankly, all of that seemed possible -- at least to me -- based on how their styles match up. However, Holm's excellent in the clinch was absolutely shocking to me. When Rousey did force a real clinch exchange, Holm defended expertly.
The first time, Holm did a very nice job keeping her elbows tight and waiting for an opportunity to push away and circle. Unlike so many of Rousey's past opponents, Holm did not panic and give up an easy throw.
She methodically worked her way out.
The next time around, Rousey did manage to throw Holm. When Rousey transitioned to her usual armbar, Holm again remained patient and waited for an opportunity to escape. That sounds simple, but it's immensely difficult when faced with a specialist like Rousey on such a large stage.
Finally, when Rousey rushed forward completely reckless, Holm initiated her own clinch and threw Rousey down. Much like when Alexander Gustafsson took down both Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, this showed how much timing matters in wrestling exchanges.
Following this monumental victory, a rematch is obviously next for both women.
Rousey's flaws have been pretty well-known for some time now. They've been talked about endlessly, and most analysts recognized that Holm presented the style to take advantage of those flaws. However, the vast majority expected that it wouldn't really matter, and Rousey would toss and arm bar her way to victory.
After this loss, Rousey has to take a hard look at her skill set and recognize the flaws in her game. She's great at her Judo and has power in her hands, but Rousey's defensive striking has always been porous. Plus, her strategy for closing the distance into the clinch -- which should be the primary purpose of her striking game -- has always been to run forward and lead with her face.
Against a talented and disciplined striker like Holm, that wasn't going to cut it.
Last night, Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey with a high kick knockout in one of the biggest upsets of all time. Can she do it again in the eventual rematch?
For complete UFC 193 "Rousey vs Holm" results and play-by-play click HERE!
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