Holm (left) was relentless against Ronda (right) in Melbourne. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
MMA fans who stayed up until 3:53 a.m. this Sunday to watch the main fight of UFC 193 were rewarded with one of the greatest moments in the history of the sport. Biggest name in Ultimate today, Ronda Rousey was knocked out mercilessly by the challenger Holly holm in one of the greatest zebras ever recorded in a ring.
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UFC 193 would already be a historic event in itself, as it brought almost 70 thousand fans to the Etihad Stadium, in Melbourne, but Holm's feat overshadowed any other milestone that could be achieved on the Australian afternoon and landed his trademark, a well-aimed high kick, which took Ronda to the canvas immediately.
“I don't know, it's hard to say how I feel, but it's really crazy. I got here and received so much love and affection, that I couldn't do anything but give back. “There were a lot of tears, a lot of sweat, but it was all worth it”, said an emotional Holm, to commentator Joe Rogan still in the Octagon. In turn, Rousey, inconsolable and in tears, left the ring without speaking.
With the triumph, Holm increased her professional record to 10 wins in 10 fights and remained undefeated. Ronda suffered her first defeat in 13 fights and now has 12 victories and one setback.
The fight
At the beginning of the fight, Ronda ended up having difficulty getting close to Holm, who kept her distance well and attacked the champion with a counterattack. Ronda, however, managed to get closer and catch her rival in the clinch. However, her training partner Jon Jones he repositioned the fight to striking and took the advantage. At the last minute, Holm, who had already escaped from a arm lock, even lost her mouthguard and even managed a takedown on the champion, showing that what was to come was not the traditional script for the champion's fights.
In the second round, a front kick to the face seems to have disoriented Ronda, who after the blow lost precision and balance, trying strikes with little technique several times and even losing her balance alone at one point. After receiving an encounter blow and suffering a knockdown, Ronda got up without protecting herself and ended up receiving a high kick, with her shin, which made her fall to the ground, in a scene that was very reminiscent of her last victory over the Brazilian Beth Pitbull. Holm even went to the ground to make sure of the victory and threw two punches at Rousey, who was already unconscious at that point, before referee Herb Dean interrupted.
Joanna has a dominant performance and retains the strawweight title
Joana's exchange (left) spoke louder against Valerie (right). Photo: Pat Scala/UFC
It wasn't as flashy as his last two performances in the octagon, when he mercilessly knocked out Carla esparza e Jessica pennebut Joanna Jedrzejczyk had a dominant performance against Canadian Valerie Letourneau and retained the strawweight title in the co-main fight of UFC 193.
Right away, the champion was surprised by Letourneau, who caught one of her kicks and managed to take her down. On the ground, the Canadian applied several blows to the ground and pound and even attempted a chokehold. Joanna, however, managed to get back on her feet, but ended up very worn out by her rival's clinch play on the fence. However, with a minute and a half left in the first round, Jedrzejczyk landed a clear front kick, which completely disoriented the challenger.
In the second round, both fighters showed that they had learned well the timing of their rivals' strikes, and showed good dodges, blocks and held successive kicks. The big difference in the round were the champion's low kicks, which bothered the challenger and damaged her base.
In the third half, once again, a front kick from Joanna made all the difference and paved the way for the champion to get the better of the exchange. However, this time, the blow came in the first half of the round and guaranteed the Polish woman superiority.
With her difference in speed accentuated by the hard blows to her legs and waistline, Joanna also gained mobility in the fourth round. The Polish woman applied increasingly longer sequences, while the challenger limited herself to her defense and unsuccessful attempts at counterattacks. In the final seconds, Jedrzejczyk almost knocked out her opponent with a series of punches, which stunned the Canadian, who was saved by the bell.
In the fifth and decisive round, Letourneau needed a knockout or a submission, but he was physically incapable of achieving these goals. Thus, the Canadian continued to be hit in most of the exchanges of blows with the Polish, who once again abused low kicks to undermine her rival's movement. In the final seconds, the champion ended up suffering an involuntary poke in the eye, but quickly returned to the fight. Joanna ended the duel by walking forward and attacking Valerie.
After the five rounds, Joanna retained her title with a unanimous decision from the judges (49×46, 49×46 and 50×45). “I knew it would be tough. We won't always win by putting on a show, but I want to fight by always doing my best. That’s why we have to respect Valerie and I did my best”, said the champion, still in the Octagon.
Special hangout debate UFC 193
Still out of breath after the incredible upset of the UFC 193 main fight? Looking for an answer to what happened in Melbourne? Well, then write it down on your calendar: this Monday (16), from 20pm (Brasília time), the SUPER FIGHTS holds a special edition of HANGOUT SUPER FIGHTS debating in every detail the historic defeat of Ronda Rousey. Stay tuned and follow on our YouTube channel.
Check out the UFC 193 results:
MAIN CARD
Holly holm won Ronda Rousey by knockout (high kick and punches) at 59s of R2;
Joanna Jedrzejczyk beat Valérie Létourneau in a unanimous decision by the judges (49×46, 49×46 and 50×45);
Mark Hunt won Antonio Pezão by knockout (punches) 3m41s of R1
Robert whittaker won Uriah Hall by unanimous decision of the judges (30×27, 30×27 and 29×28);
Jared Rosholt won Stefan struve in unanimous decision of the judges (29×28, 29×28 and 29×28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Jake matthews beat Akbarh Arreola via TKO (medical stoppage) in R2.
Kyle Noke KO Peter sobotta (body blows) at 2:07 of R1;
Gian Villante knocked out Anthony Perosh (cross) at 3:56 of R1;
Danny Martinez defeated Richie Vaculik via unanimous decision (30x27, 30x27 and 30x27)
Dan Kelly beat Steve Montgomery in a unanimous decision by the judges (29×28, 29×28 and 29×28);
Richard Walsh beat Steve Kennedy in a unanimous decision by the judges (29×28, 30×27 and 30×27);
James Moontasri beat Anton Zafir by TKO (kick and spinning punch) at 4:36 of R1;
Ben Nguyen submitted Ryan Benoit with a rear naked choke at 2:35 of R1.
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