Ronda Rousey predicted that Holly Holm might knock her out via a head kick when she appeared as a guest on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon back in October—which turned out to be exactly what happened when the pair met at UFC 193 on Saturday.
According to Mike Foss of USA Today’s For the Win, Rousey said of her opponent: “She’s the type of fighter you have to be very patient with. She’s going to try to keep distance and keep far away from me and keep me frustrated and to the point where I’ll make a mistake and she’ll try to kick me in the head—but it’s not going to go like that.”
Rowdy failed to follow her own advice, though, as she showed anything but patience in her bout with Holm.
The 28-year-old swung wildly and erratically at the former WBF, IBF, and WBAN welterweight champion, who struck back harder and with far more precision and had Rousey bleeding from the nose in the opening round.
Early in the second, the 34-year-old decisively ended the fight with a stunning head kick that knocked Rousey out. Sports broadcaster Caroline Pearce shared the footage on Twitter, courtesy of BT Sport UFC:
The weekend was an unusual one for Rousey, who instigated a seemingly unprovoked altercation with Holm at the pre-fight weigh-in and refused to touch gloves with her in the Octagon, before her wild and uncontrolled approach to the fight.
For a fighter who has dominated the UFC’s bantamweight division in the manner Rousey has, the upset and the manner of defeat was a humiliating one.
While Holm basks in the limelight after winning and generally conducting herself in a far more sporting manner, for Rousey, the long road back to the top begins.
Once, Rowdy seemed utterly untouchable. Now, a humbling in both attitude and approach is needed in order to bounce back from this devastating defeat.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com