Ronda Rousey's reign as UFC bantamweight champion is over after a stunning knockout defeat by Holly Holm in Melbourne.
Holm stopped the sport's leading lady in the second round of their UFC 193 championship bout at the Etihad Stadium, producing a powerful kick to the head that knocked Rousey out cold.
The fight had started at a frenetic pace with Holm, a highly-decorated former world boxing champion, frustrating the champion and leaving her with a bloodied nose at the end of the first round.
Rousey tried to respond at the start of the second, pushing Holm around the octagon until the challenger snapped a massive kick to Rousey's head that dropped her to the canvas and left her needing medical treatment.
Victory extended Holm's unbeaten start to life in mixed martial arts to 10-0 and it was a first career defeat for Rousey (12-1), who was defending her title for the seventh time.
"I had so much love and support I just thought, 'How can I not do this?'" Holm said. "This right here is priceless.
"I have to say that everything that we worked on presented itself in the fight. Every grab that she tried to get and clinch on the cage, and I just had help with everything.
"I have not spent this much time in the gym before any fight of my life."
Elsewhere at UFC 193, Joanna Jedrzejczyk defended her women's straw-weight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Valerie Letorneau.
New Zealander Mark Hunt stopped Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva in the first round of their heavyweight fight while Australia's own Robert Whittaker won a decision over Uriah Hall.
No comments:
Post a Comment