Former boxing champion Holly Holm pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Mixed Martial Arts history by knocking out the most dominant UFC women’s champion Ronda Rousey in devastating fashion at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on November 14.
Holm the best technical female striker in the UFC proved that hitting mitts is not the same as having actual boxing experience in the ring. Holm was a multiple time champion in boxing with kickboxing experience and was overlooked going into the fight, because the hype behind Rousey and the way she finished off challengers who were tiers below her, made people believe she would run through Holm and submit her.
The fight started off intense with Rousey running forward and trying to throw power shots at Holm, but Holm used her boxing footwork and was very elusive. When Rousey came forward she would get tagged with counters and Holm would get out of the way immediately. The main weapon of the night was the lead left, Holm throws the lead left similar to Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, both are southpaws and utilize the lead left to catch opponents coming in. Holm kept landing a stiff clean lead left on Rousey who looked lost in the stand up aspect.
The finishing blow came in the second round, it was a perfectly placed left high kick to the face which dropped Rousey like a sack of bricks and Holm followed up with a few hammer fists until the ref pulled her off of an already unconscious Rousey.
Rousey’s boxing coach Edmond Tarverdyan claimed she could even beat Holm in a boxing match, that comment was laughable after Saturday night, it seems Rousey needs a new boxing coach because she had no head movement, and kept getting hit with lead lefts, she looked like a fish out of water in the boxing department.
Holm made history as the first fighter (male or female) to become a legit champion in Boxing and in the UFC (Mixed Martial Arts).
