Congratulations to Albuquerque, New Mexico's HOLLY HOLM!

[uechibear]

(who last night pulled off the biggest upset in MMA history)

[Dagga Boy]

That was our dinner conversation last night before the fight. Apparently, Holly is also a stellar human as well, which makes it even better.

[JodyH]

Ronda had really let her inner trailer trash shine through over the last 6 months, she got lazy and it caught up to her.
Holly was in another realm of fitness, desire and her strikes were super clean.
The better prepared fighter won last night.

[Gray222]

Watched it at a local food spot, was amazed at the level of precision Holm was able to deliver. Rousey would have done better if she was less aggressive and more reserved.

On the way to the food spot I said Rousey may be suffering from "Rockyiticis" which he suffered from in Rocky III, the media, the news, the spotlight...gave him a false sense of ability. Rousey definitely felt that here.

[LittleLebowski]

I was surprised at Rousey's level of conditioning. She was either too confident or has some stuff going on.

[JodyH]

I was surprised at Rousey's level of conditioning. She was either too confident or has some stuff going on.
Her last three fights combined lasted what 1 minute?
She got complacent.

[scw2]

I'd say part of the 'getting tired' is due to her overall strategy.

I got the impression her previous fights consisted of basically bum rushing the opponent, take a few relatively strikes in the process as the opponent backs up in a straight line, then gets the takedown and armbar. It looked like Holly did not back up in a straight line and instead used angles well and made her pay repeatedly when she stepped in. Pretty tiring to try and charge in, and even more so if you're getting strikes to the face repeatedly. I'm sure those kicks to the legs didn't help any either and it didn't look like she had an answer for those.

[RevolverRob]

I am a Rousey fan and was pulling for her last night. It seemed clear to me, even at the weigh in that Rousey wasn't all together like she has been in the past. I'm not sure if it is complacency, or the stress of being the face of the UFC franchise, or the stress of being the face of the franchise and promoting a book deal, planning movies, etc, or most likely all of the above. The long and short of it is, Rousey was clearly out fought last night, by Holly Holm. Who also, clearly had worked her takedown defense and was prepared thoroughly for what Ronda had, which, unfortunately, wasn't much. The precision with which Holm hit with her strikes, indicates she is on an entirely different striking level than other folks have been in the class. In fact, I'd argue that what we saw last night is that Holm is one of the better strikers in the entire UFC.

I hope that Rousey takes a nice six-to-eight month hiatus from UFC and spends much of it working on her form and conditioning. Dana White and the entire organization have been relying on her and McGregor to carry the marketing load for them. Unfortunately, it is time for UFC to rethink its marketing campaign and how they lean so heavily on fighters. The number of fights they are putting folks through, while simultaneously dropping a dozen interviews a week on them - it's too much for anyone to carry.

I figure we will see Holm vs. Tate next and then the Holm v. Rousey rematch (I have to be honest, I don't think Tate has a chance against Holm).

-Rob

[LittleLebowski]

I just watched this fight and really enjoyed it. I was extremely impressed with Holm. I enjoyed this fight as much as the Gustafson/Jones fight.

[LSP552]

Thanks for posting that Tom. I was watching LSU get their butt whipped last night.

[Chris Rhines]

Holly Holm must have read and re-read Jack Slack's "Killing The Queen" (http://fightland.vice.com/blog/killing-the-queen-ronda-rousey) article on Ronda Rousey, until she was seeing it in her sleep.

Incredible fight, incredible performance (that won me $150. :D)

[JodyH]

"Never chase your opponent" is my MMA Coaches mantra.
Ronda kept chasing and kept getting tagged with that straight left, then the straight left turned into straight kicks.
Sweet setup by Holm.

[JodyH]

Jack Slack's "Killing The Queen" (http://fightland.vice.com/blog/killing-the-queen-ronda-rousey) article
This quote is gold for street fights:

You miss a punch, you're in the clinch. You land a punch, you're in the clinch. You don't punch, they walk straight in and you're in the clinch.

[uechibear]

Video of the fight from FB (click to start video):

(To preserve the loading speed of this page, I've not copied the video in this quote.)

https://www.facebook.com/BrannmanndanKickboxing/videos/vb.128633363879300/973278412748120/

Thanks for posting the video, Tom. I actually hadn't seen the fight, and I only started this thread because I remembered where you live. Your post makes me very glad I did! I just watched it three times.


Holly Holm must have read and re-read Jack Slack's "Killing The Queen" (http://fightland.vice.com/blog/killing-the-queen-ronda-rousey) article on Ronda Rousey, until she was seeing it in her sleep.

Yeah, I don't know if HH read that article, but it's just like a roadmap to victory against RR... great analysis by Jack Slack!

[Dagga Boy]

Ditto on the thanks Tom, that was great. Robin converted everyone into the Holly Holm fan club.

[uechibear]

Ditto on the thanks Tom, that was great. Robin converted everyone into the Holly Holm fan club.

I'm an unofficial member of that club now, too, but that's only from watching the fight (4 times now). Could you elaborate on how/why (what's the connection) Robin "converted everyone"?

[Crawls]

As a preacher's son from Albuquerque, I couldn't have been happier to see Holly win like she did.
Excellent performance and excellent sportsmanship.

[Drang]

The real question is: Has Holly Holm endorsed a candidate for President? If so, is he or she an avowed socialist?
4410
Ronda Rousey once voted for Roseanne Barr, now backs Bernie ... (http://r.duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com%2Fbuzzer%2Fsto ry%2Fronda-rousey-bernie-sanders-roseanna-barr-111015)

[FNFAN]

A fan of Bernie's eh? That makes me so happy that HH devastated Rousey and is good human being to boot!

[Dagga Boy]

I don't know what Robin said to nyeti (and she's on a plane flying back to NM right now), but Holly is a very good friend of one of Robin's very good friends (not sure that means anything) and she has a home in the area that Robin works (the Village of Los Ranchos). Greg Jackson is also working with cops (for free) one day a week at his gym and Robin goes to that (so maybe there is a connection there too).

Robin just exudes "goodness" and was just lit up talking about Holly and how people feel about her. That kind of response is meaningful in my world.

Robin also got the full experience on my end....picked up in the Raptor. Flip flops, fanny pack, and we went for Sushi. Had a great time.

[BWT]

I am a Rousey fan and was pulling for her last night. It seemed clear to me, even at the weigh in that Rousey wasn't all together like she has been in the past. I'm not sure if it is complacency, or the stress of being the face of the UFC franchise, or the stress of being the face of the franchise and promoting a book deal, planning movies, etc, or most likely all of the above. The long and short of it is, Rousey was clearly out fought last night, by Holly Holm. Who also, clearly had worked her takedown defense and was prepared thoroughly for what Ronda had, which, unfortunately, wasn't much. The precision with which Holm hit with her strikes, indicates she is on an entirely different striking level than other folks have been in the class. In fact, I'd argue that what we saw last night is that Holm is one of the better strikers in the entire UFC.

I hope that Rousey takes a nice six-to-eight month hiatus from UFC and spends much of it working on her form and conditioning. Dana White and the entire organization have been relying on her and McGregor to carry the marketing load for them. Unfortunately, it is time for UFC to rethink its marketing campaign and how they lean so heavily on fighters. The number of fights they are putting folks through, while simultaneously dropping a dozen interviews a week on them - it's too much for anyone to carry.

I figure we will see Holm vs. Tate next and then the Holm v. Rousey rematch (I have to be honest, I don't think Tate has a chance against Holm).

-Rob

I liked Holly Holm going into this. She seems like she's a very down to earth, genuinely humble person, and a heck of a fighter. As far as the pre-fight, I think the above is pretty much it. She doesn't have time to prepare and fight at the tempo they're wanting her to fight long-term. I'm not saying that's a Rousey issue, but just a how UFC does business issue. I think perhaps they should have Champions fight at most twice a year. I think Ronda got sucked into fighting a way she doesn't fight, and didn't want to go charging in. Which is wise, but it's also unfamiliar.

I also think when you're at the top of things for a long-time; you're the one that everyone's training to fight. All eyes are on you, and you will be studied tirelessly and people are going to crack the code to beat you in that environment.

I also think that Rousey's credentials and the UFC environment didn't overwhelm Holly either; I think she was prepared for this. Like Jody stated, I think she was chasing because she felt like she needed to. I dunno, it's easy for me to monday morning quarterback a champion fighter against another champion fighter. I'll wrap up with I think Ronda was out of her element that night; for whatever reason. You could tell in the post-fight conferences and interviews Dana White was absolutely floored.

God Bless and have a great night guys,

Brandon

ETA: Thank you Tom Jones for linking that video; I didn't actually pay for PPV but I caught highlight reels. Also, to emphasize the point on fighting styles and training to beat the opponent. Who do you think is going to stand up fight Holly Holmes in that weight division after she knocked out Rousey?

Nobody. That's one thing that actually went against the Spartans, IIRC. Logistically, they trained their soldiers from the age of 7 to 20 for a finished product. While they were definitely the best military in the world at the time; everyone trained to face them. Once opponents (I believe the Athenians) started facing them regularly, and understanding how to beat them. When the Spartans lost a battle it was a monumental loss of resources comparatively. Heck just if they had casualties. Atleast, that's what I've read. I think that's also at least partially why Alexander the Great started hiring from the conquered regions, etc. which caused a lot of division in the ranks... and I'm rabbit trailing. ;)

It was a good fight.

[Cecil Burch]

I don't know what Robin said to nyeti (and she's on a plane flying back to NM right now), but Holly is a very good friend of one of Robin's very good friends (not sure that means anything) and she has a home in the area that Robin works (the Village of Los Ranchos). Greg Jackson is also working with cops (for free) one day a week at his gym and Robin goes to that (so maybe there is a connection there too).

If Robin is a fan, that is good enough for me.

[Wondering Beard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me4zUIEfpa8

[Dagga Boy]

Now that was funny...

[uechibear]

...Apparently, Holly is also a stellar human as well, which makes it even better.

What I read backs that up, nyeti. Here's a sample:


It comes as no surprise that Holly Holm was emotional in various interviews after her win over Ronda Rousey at Saturday’s UFC 193. After all, Rousey is the biggest star in the entire sport, male or female, and she was a previously unbeaten wrecking machine of previously unseen proportions. And Holly Holm ended all that with one, swift kick to the head. So, when Holm broke down in various interviews after the fight, she became an endearing replacement to the icy persona Rousey had portrayed for years.

--

“Absolutely,” said Holm when asked if she ever doubted herself leading up to the fight. “I don’t think you can prepare yourself if you’re not aware what can happen; she’s been the most dominant athlete. So yeah, there were days in the gym, I didn’t perform well, sat in my car, upset and I cried. And I thought, you know what, if I perform like that, that’s not going to get me a win. So, I need to come back tonight, and I need to perfect those things. I need to get better. So, yes, there are moments in your mind when you doubt yourself.”

--

Holm says she always like to say “if I win” rather than “when I win.” She thinks speaking in definitive is a recipe for disaster. She’d rather be open-minded about her possibilities rather than pumping herself up with potential delusions of grandeur.

Now, after winning the gold off Rousey in one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history, questions remain as to who’s next for the new UFC women’s bantamweight champ.

--

“I think a rematch makes sense for sure,” she said. “I’ve been on the losing side of a fight and I wanted the rematch, I wanted to avenge my loss. With a champion like Ronda – who has gone out of her way, above and beyond, to do great things – absolutely she deserves a rematch.

“I don’t look at this belt and think I’ve made it. I think I still have things that I need to do. I think a rematch, I think that’s kind of unspoken common sense to me.”


Vulnerable, strong-minded, physically tough, gracious, and arguably even more beautiful than RR...

full article here: holly-holm--a-champion-like-ronda-rousey--deserves-a-rematch (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/holly-holm--a-champion-like-ronda-rousey--deserves-a-rematch-022909446-mma.html)

[Cincinnatus]

Jack Slack on the mechanics of the fight.
http://fightland.vice.com/blog/how-holly-holm-killed-queen-ronda-rousey