Ronda Rousey Loses Title Fight in Stunner

UFC champ defeated by Holly Holm in KO
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 15, 2015 6:02 AM CST
Ronda Rousey Loses Title Fight in Stunner
Ben Nguyen, left, punches Ryan Benoit during their UFC 193 flyweight fight in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015.    (Andy Brownbill)

Ronda Rousey was the UFC's unstoppable force until Holly Holm produced one of the sport's biggest upsets. Rousey chased Holm around the ring at UFC 193 on Sunday looking for the right hold and taking head shots—until Holm saw an opening 59 seconds into the second round and snapped a kick to the head that immediately dropped Rousey. Holm (10-0) jumped on the prone Rousey, delivering several blows to her head before the referee intervened, ending Rousey's 12-fight unbeaten run and handing Holm the bantamweight title. An ecstatic Holm jumped around the ring while Rousey stayed on the canvas as she received treatment amid the roar of a stunned, record UFC crowd. "She's won a lot of fights," Holm said. "So I expected her to be aggressive and impose her will on me."

"She had me on the cage for a minute and obviously she was trying in for a take down right there ... she had a lot of things she was trying so I'm just glad I put in the practice," she added. Rousey, a former judo Olympian, was unbeaten through 12 UFC fights before meeting Holm. Instead, Holm, a 34-year-old veteran from Albuquerque, has the championship belt. Rousey, 28, left the stadium to receive treatment for concussion and facial cuts. "These are the moments in fighting that make it so crazy and so fun," UFC chief Dana White said. "Tonight was one of those moments." White said a rematch made "a lot of sense." Holm, a former undisputed welterweight champ, said her UFC title was "one of those moments that you live for. They're the scariest moments. This fight was a lot for me mentally." (Lady Gaga knocked Rousey for the loss.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X