As Ronda Rousey made her way up through the UFC Women’s Bantamweight division handing out knockout after knockout, she was quickly becoming a household name. Athlete, spokesperson, model and actress it was hard not to see her name in the news or see her on billboards or in movies. A pioneer in the previously male dominated world of Mixed Martial Arts, Rousey was setting the new standard for women across the sport opening doors for other women like her to have a professional and organized setting to compete in the highest division of MMA, the UFC.
When Rousey stepped into the ring against Holly Holm, many expected to see another dominating performance by the reigning Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Rousey’s opponets usually never made it past the first round, defeated by submission,
KO or TKO, but Holly Holm provided the largest challenge taking Rousey into the second round of the title fight and eventually landing “the kick heard round the world” to the right side Rousey’s jaw, knocking her out cold. What emerged afterwards was an onslaught of media attention trying to figure out who was this wonder woman capable of knocking out Rousey.
Since the fight, Holm has appeared on talk shows, attended court-side basketball games and given interviews across the United States. The 34 year old fighter from New Mexico was considered to be in the twilight of her well accomplished boxing and kickboxing career, but the win against Rousey has propelled her into the conversation as one of the best female fighters in MMA. Known as “The Preacher’s Daughter” to MMA enthusiasts, Holm’s worldwide attention has continued to grow in the sporting world and popular culture. A recent GQ article called Holm the
“antithesis…to ‘Rowdy’ Ronda, [making] her great for the UFC right now.” Could this be the emergence of a new rivalry era of two fighting greats, a new Ali v. Frazier, Ward v. Gatti or Mayweather v. Pacquiao?
No word has been given yet by UFC President Dana White on whether the two will have the opportunity to rematch in the near future, but it seems evident that fans all across the world would love to see Rousey have the opportunity to win her title back. Until that time when the two may step into the octagon, the Holm v. Rousey fight has drawn incredible attention from fans and brought great attention and focus to the Women’s division of the UFC. Even if the two women never square off again, they have done wonders to promote the legitimacy and fan enthusiasm for women in the sport. Many fans of the sport are hopeful that the popularity of the title fight will only bring about more Main Card events between female competitors fighting for a title belt.