On November 15th, at approximately one o’clock a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), the mixed martial arts (MMA) world was flipped upside down. It was one of those moments that every fan that watched will remember, recalling their whereabouts and feelings when it happened.
On November 15th, I had every intention of writing a comparison of the celebration of “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, (at the time) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s bantamweight division champion, with the relative reluctance to promote one of the best tennis players of all-time, Serena Williams. My article was going to highlight the accomplishments of both athletes and demonstrate that while Williams was clearly the more dominant athlete over a longer period of time and with a larger sample size of competition, Rousey was promoted as more of a “hero” (or heroine) in sports culture.
That was my going to be the focus of my article. That was until I watched UFC 193.
In what will unequivocally be one of the top sports stories of the year, fans around the world, witnessed the most dominant MMA fighter in the world decimated at the hands of a relatively unknown (but skilled nevertheless) boxer named Holly Holm. What was jarring was the way in which Rousey looked so outmatched and unprepared to spar with her challenger. The sports world had yet to see the world’s most dangerous woman reeling, appearing anxious and desperate. Then again, the sports world had not seen her unconscious on the mat, with a mouth full of blood.
Pundits had Holm giving Rousey a difficult time in the octagon, and perhaps sending the champ to her first decision in the UFC, but no one predicted a second-round knockout reminiscent of Sweet Chin Music from the Heartbreak Kid himself, Shawn Michaels.
To really appreciate the legend of Rousey, it is important for me to take you back to a time – any particular time prior to November 15th – where she was heralded as the most dominant fighter ever to grace the UFC. At the age of twenty-eight, Rousey was undefeated in her MMA career, boasting several first round submissions, including a fight that lasted thirteen seconds. It was not just the mere fact that Rousey was undefeated, it was her precocious superstardom, and her dominance that helped advance the resources that the UFC placed into the women’s weight divisions. Her celebrity transcended MMA, and was beginning to surpass sports. In September, Rousey was ranked number forty on Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40” influential persons in business list.
Aside from her fighting prowess and knack for applying the arm-bar, Rousey was seen as one of the more attractive athletes in arguably the most violent sport on the planet. She had a radiant smile and was often modeling in various magazines. In addition to this, her candor and down-to-earth personality seemed to resonate with fans, and it seemed as though she was just your average girl who happened to be one of the most dangerous fighters on planet Earth. Rousey could be just as awkward as the average person or candid enough to have you wonder “did she just say that?” Her love life was kept out of the press. She is a huge video game and comic book nerd. Her attire was often comprised of hoodies and sweatpants. She dealt with substance abuse and depression. Ronda Rousey was very much a real person, it seemed. The fact that she could whoop your butt was just icing on the cake.
The press loved her. Everyone respected her. Many heralded Rousey as the Muhammed Ali of MMA. Her dominance against her weight division had analysts and fans clamouring for a match against Cris “Cyborg” Justino, a fighter who dominates in Invicta Fighting Championship, an all-women’s MMA organization. Some fans lamented the fact that Rousey was too dominant and her fights were becoming predictable. The hype was there, to say the least. Ronda Rousey was immortal.
This year it seemed as though Rousey believed her own hype. Nine of Rousey’s victories lasted less than a minute. Before November 15th, she had only been past the first round of a bout once. Rousey was getting into shoving matches at weigh-ins and social media wars with female fighters. As much as the world was cheering Rousey on, it seemed as though there was a huge contingent yearning for her to lose, especially in an embarrassing fashion. On November 15th, the sport witnessed a new world order, and as much credit as Holly Holm is to be given for obliterating her opponent, the discussion will be about “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey and her mortality. Holm was too tactful to be considered a fluke. What is Rousey going to reclaim her belt? More importantly, have we seen the end of the world’s (former) most dangerous woman?
All credit is due to Holly Holm, who just completed the biggest upset in UFC history. She is no amateur, but it seemed as though she would be in over her head with Rousey.
There is a new women’s bantamweight champion in the UFC, and more importantly, the sport may have just witnessed the beginning of the end of its legendary superstar. Hopefully, Rousey can reclaim her “Rowdy” moniker in a rematch with Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm. Things have changed.
Ronda Rousey isn’t even Ronda Rousey anymore. I would not suggest that you jump off the Rousey bandwagon just yet. I think at some point in 2016, she will have something to say and a lot to prove. It will be her first time as the challenger in the UFC, staring across the ring at the lady who put her on the floor and sent her to the plastic surgeon to repair her lacerated lip.
We have a new era in the UFC.
Perhaps this is the beginning of the legend of Holm.