Upset alert!
Reigning women's Bantamweight champion Holly Holm attempted to make the first defense of her 135-pound title last night (Sat., March 5, 2016) against two-time title challenger Miesha Tate in the UFC 196 co-main event inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Check out the full co-main event recap here.
"Preacher's Daughter" came in deadset on proving her win over Ronda Rousey was no fluke, while "Cupcake" sought the upset, which would put somewhat of a dent in a potential Holm vs. Rousey title rematch.
Holm started off round one implementing her boxing prowess, while maintaining distance. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative uncorked some kicks, which made life difficult for Tate.
Round two saw Tate bring the fight to Holm as she landed a takedown, followed by some ground and pound. The Las Vegas-based combatant landed several hard elbows and shots to the body. Then, towards the end of the frame, Tate nearly choked out Holm after she found the latter's back.
Holm turned the tide back in her favor in rounds three and four, utilizing crisp boxing technique she honed for years in the squared circle, while also stuffing multiple takedowns by Tate. She also threw in some powerful straight lefts, oblique kicks and beautiful combinations for good measure.
However, Tate still had plenty of energy left to mount a potential comeback ... which is exactly what happened in the fifth and final frame as she fought through the defense of Holm, took her down, found the back and cinched up a rear-naked choke for the incredible comeback victory.
Tate is your new women's Bantamweight champion (we're saying that a lot these days), while Holm is ousted after she notched an upset of her own over "Rowdy" back in Nov. 2015.
Crazy times. Guess that puts a damper on UFC president Dana White's plans, huh?
For continuous coverage of the entire UFC 196, including post-fight recaps and analysis, click here and here.
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