This Saturday night / Sunday morning will see UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey defend her title for the sixth time, this time down under at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia at UFC 193. In the opposite corner stands former multiple time World Champion Boxer and number 7 ranked Holly Holm.
Even if you have never watched an MMA fight before in your life, chances are you have heard of Ronda Rousey. Since her defeat of Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in 2013, she has become a household name as a result of appearances in Hollywood blockbusters, on Good Morning America, Ellen DeGeneres, the cover of Sports Illustrated, you name it, her face has been on it. The UFC PR machine has gone into overdrive in the past year to support the fighter who is now the face of the UFC brand and Mixed Martial Arts as a sport. The aforementioned PR machine is always there to remind us that she is the most dominant female athlete on the planet. (They must not have heard of Katie Taylor.)
To be fair to Rousey and her reputation as the most dominant female athlete on the planet, since her move from Judo to MMA, she has dispatched of every single one of her opponents in brutal fashion. Only once in her twelve fight MMA career has she been taken out of the first round which was against Miesha Tate at UFC 168 in December 2013. For this reason, she is a massive favourite in her fight against Holm this Saturday night. To the point that if you were to bet €100 right now on her to win with Paddy Power, you would only get €106.25 back including your €100 stake. The same stake on Holm to win would net you a cool €800. As such a massive favourite, and considering her talent for lack of a better word, dismantling her opponents, its hard to see the belt going back to anywhere else but California with the current champion, but what if?
The first question naturally on everybody’s mind is an easy one. Can Holly Holm actually step into the Octagon in Melbourne and beat Ronda Rousey. Long story made short is yes, yes she can. Both women are only human and stranger things have happened before, thats the beauty of sport. Underdogs have beaten favourites before, take Ireland beating the world champions Germany at soccer a little over a month ago. If you had said to anybody outside the Aviva Stadium on the 8th of October that Ireland would beat Germany, you would be laughed at and questioned about how much alcohol that you obviously must have consumed in order to come out with such a stupid statement.
As a fighter, Holm’s resume is quite an impressive one. Holm forged her career as a professional boxer fighting mainly at welterweight. She had eighteen defences of her world titles across three different weight divisions in a boxing career that spanned over eleven years. She trains at Greg Jacksons gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The home of former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, UFC Welterweight title challenger Carlos Condit and lightweight challenger Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. When it comes to professional fight teams, they don’t come much better than that. She has the experience, the team and the stand up to pose a real threat to Ronda. If the fight goes to the ground, it won’t last long but if Holm managed to pull off what could only be described as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, what would happen next?
Before Bruce Buffer even reads out the words ‘and new’, an emergency contingency would be put into place at UFC Headquarters in Las Vegas, arranging the quickest rematch of all time, probably for UFC 196 in February 2016, assuming no injuries for either fighter. I would not even be surprised if this is announcement is read out at the post fight press conference, if Dana White is even capable of speaking to the media at that stage.
Why would the UFC do this? Two reasons. Ronda Rousey is the face of the UFC. As mentioned earlier, she has broken down so many boundaries, particularly into the main stream media that no other fighter has ever done in the sports short history. The UFC need her to be the face of their organisation more than they need any other fighter on the roster to be. She appeals to so many, even those who have no interest in MMA, the people who couldn’t tell you who Conor McGregor or Jon Jones is but will still tune in and purchase the $65 Pay Per View for the whole, what will she do next factor that Ronda Rousey brings to the table. Something that would still exist if she loses to Holm this Saturday, but she may lose the interest which peaked back in August when Ronda fought Bethe Corriea at UFC 190 and sold over 1 million pay per view buys.
Secondly, UFC 200, the widely whispered date for a Ronda Rousey vs Cris Cyborg fight. Cyborg has been touted for years as the only woman who could possibly derail the Ronda train. However, getting down to 135lbs to face Rousey is gonna be a massive challenge for Cyborg and her nutritionist George Lockhart. To bring her weight down in anticipation of a Rousey fight, Cyborg will have to first make 140lbs and then fight at 135lbs. If she can prove that she can make the weight safely, the fight is on. But will people really care as much about that fight if Ronda is not the champion. Probably not, which is why a swift rematch will take place to ensure that Ronda is the champion for UFC 200 and the biggest fight in Women’s Mixed Martial Arts can take place. If she loses, the fight will fall into the same box as the Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao fight did, the fight that should have happened years ago box when they were in their prime.
All of the above article is purely speculation as to what I think what may happen should the unexpected actually happen, do I think Holm can beat Rousey, yes I do, do I think she will, no, but as the saying goes, stranger things have happened.
Originally posted on the 10th of November 2015 on the MMA Andy Blog.