Completely dominated, Ronda ended up being knocked out by Holm. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
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the fight between Ronda Rousey e Holly holm presented one of the biggest surprises in MMA in recent times. Not only because of the result itself, since a favorite being defeated is not exactly rare to see in sport, but also because of the way the fight unfolded.
Considered an underdog at bookmakers, Holm performed impeccably against Rousey, exposing all of the then champion's technical flaws to dominate the action for practically the entire time. The “icing on the cake” came with the beautiful knockout achieved in the second round, with a well-aimed kick to Ronda's head that changed hands of the category belt.
However, Holm's victory may have been surprising, but it was far from being the result of chance or a stroke of luck. The challenger knew how to show her technical superiority in several aspects, undermining and frustrating Rousey as had never been seen before.
Therefore, the SUPER FIGHTS explains five reasons why Holm surprised the world and shockingly dethroned Ronda. Check out:
1: Movement
During the fight, Ronda limited himself to walking forward. Photo: Disclosure
A judoka by trade, Ronda's most obvious strategy was to shorten the distance to the former world boxing champion Holly holm and take it to the ground. However, it's not just about grabbing your opponent anyway: you need to adopt an efficient method of doing this, avoiding any unnecessary risk.
At this point, Ronda lost “in a landslide” to Holm. The challenger, owner of a foot work above average for MMA, he knew how to nullify the then champion's weapons just with his lateral movement. Holm avoided being cornered by constantly moving to the sides, and when she gained a safer distance, she regained her base and fired powerful counter blows. Ronda, in turn, dangerously limited himself to moving forward, opening up several possibilities for attacks from Holm. Thus, Rousey not only failed to create chances to catch her opponent but also took blows and blows in the process.
2: Defending with your face
Ronda's leaked guard was a big deal for Holm. Photo: Disclosure
Perhaps the biggest flaw already known in Ronda's game was the defensive part of the exchange with his guard leaked. Even in fights in which she won without fear, the former champion received more blows than necessary. However, this was never a problem, as Rousey's other opponents rarely moved after the blows: they remained static, serving as fixed targets for the American's clinch and takedowns.
Holm efficiently exploited this gap, as he struck with the commitment and precision typical of a professional boxer and moved to avoid Ronda's retaliation. The judoka also didn't seem to consider her opponent's larger wingspan, so, in the end, she ended up “swallowing” clean and hard blows like she had never done before.
Another point where the discrepancy between the fighters was noticed is the dodges. While Ronda kept her head static, serving as a fixed target for Holm, the challenger had a keen reflex, meaning she was unlikely to be hit. This even caused an embarrassing moment for the former champion, who threw a blow that went blank and fell to her knees in the octagon. In other words, Holm escaped Ronda's range of action with a lesson in moving her legs and head.
3: Clinch work
Ronda did not have the success she expected when the fight ended in the clinch. Photo: Disclosure
Despite the technical disadvantage in striking, Ronda managed to clinch a few times throughout the fight. Holly holm. However, the result of this was not as she expected. The first time, Holm remained calm and was precise in weighting her hips back, preventing Rousey from making the takedown movement. At the end of the first round, the challenger repeated the movement, but knew how to add knees to her opponent's body.
In another clinch move also in the first round, Holm showed physical strength by holding Ronda around the waist and placing the champion with her back on the ground. In this move, the effect is as technical as it is psychological: getting the better of the opponent's area of activity can “break” the rival's momentum. Your training companion Holly holm, Jon Jones, is a master at it.
4: Wasting opportunities
When the fight went to the ground, Ronda did not threaten Holm. Photo: Disclosure
Throughout the first round, Ronda had already received hard blows and was aware that the fight against Holm was, in fact, tougher than she was used to. The big chance came in the middle of the first round, when the champion took the challenger to the ground and immediately reached her back.
At that moment, perhaps already knowing that this was her golden chance, Rousey let herself get carried away by the rush. Before even placing the hooks and working on the position, she tried to go for the arm, in an attempt to arm lock beyond bold. Not surprisingly, Holm walked away without difficulty. Once again the “psychological seesaw” moved, leaving the challenger with even more confidence and the champion dejected.
5: Lack of discipline
Ronda (photo) is attended to in the Octagon shortly after knockout at UFC 193. Photo: Quinn Rooney/UFC
Experienced and used to big fights, Holm performed impeccably, strictly following the strategy outlined by the brilliant Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn. Not even the fact that she was undermining Ronda made the challenger lose focus and become careless: in fact, when Holm took down her opponent, she avoided the temptation of staying in her guard, as she would be taking unnecessary risks.
Ronda Rousey did the opposite. Facing the first real setback of her career, the fighter was unable to remain calm and think of a plan B. Instead, she insisted on the same ineffective strategy, but in an even more hasty manner. This was visible at the end of the first round, when the champion walked forward awkwardly and wasted blows in the wind. Her trainer, Edmond Tarverdyan, also appeared to have suffered a “mental breakdown”, as he said, at halftime, that his fighter had done a good job in a round in which she had clearly lost.
Such haste was decisive in the move that defined the fight. Unbalanced by putting more force than necessary into a blow, Ronda fell and was worried about getting up quickly, anyway, when perhaps the best option would be to stay with her back on the ground and wait for the best moment to get back up. There the opening opened for the final kick, which made both the fighter and the jaws of thousands of spectators around the world drop.
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