The upset of the year happened Saturday. Holly Holm became the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion by knocking out Ronda Rousey in the second round in Melbourne, Australia.
Holm surprisingly dominated the fight from the get-go. She let the fight come to her and got some clear shots to Rousey’s face toward the end of the first round. Holm ended the fight with a kick to the side of the head a minute into the second round for the stunning upset.
Twitter, of course, had some reactions. Here are a few, starting with Phil “CM Punk” Brooks:
A lot of boxing references were made, one of them from Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports:
ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael shared his thoughts on the kick heard ’round the world:
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports noted that a pure boxer got in the ring with Rousey and fought a well-calculated match:
Fox Sports’ Jon Anik also commented on the no-longer-undefeated Rousey:
CBS Sports’ Will Brinson thought Rousey played the role of Michigan for the night:
ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne captured the emotion of one of the biggest upsets in fighting history:
CBS Sports went there and pulled the Undertaker-losing-at-Wrestlemania card:
Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, who also involves himself in the MMA world, shared his thoughts on Holm’s huge victory:
One of Rousey’s biggest rivals, Miesha Tate, took the chance to throw a little shade at the former champion:
As the fight was going on, the Golden State Warriors-Brooklyn Nets game was just going into overtime. Dallas Mavericks play-by-play broadcaster Mark Followill didn’t know which surprised him more:
Boxing legend Lennox Lewis thought Rousey made one huge mistake throughout the course of the fight:
Actress Ruby Rose was beyond disappointed Rousey suffered her first defeat:
ESPN Stats & Info dove into just how thoroughly Holm dominated Rousey:
Boxing legend George Foreman lent his support to Rousey:
Reebok also expressed its support to one of its top stars:
More shocking than Rousey simply losing was that Holm dominated her like that. Holm dictated every facet of the fight, from the pace to the actual striking ability. She baited Rousey into coming after her, and it cost the former champion.
This is one of the bigger upsets in sports history, and a new name rests atop the bantamweight division for the first time ever.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com