The sports world was sent into a frenzy when Ronda Rousey was violently knocked out by Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 193.
Nearly every fight fan watching was shocked Holm pulled off the upset, but the way in which she went about it wasn’t surprising — especially not to Rousey.
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Rousey explained why Holm was a dangerous opponent for her despite being listed as a nearly a 20-to-1 underdog.
“This one’s going to be a much longer fight because she’s a 19-time world boxing champion with 100 per cent takedown defence and head-kick knockouts,” Rousey said. “She’s undefeated and an amazing athlete, and definitely the biggest threat to me, especially on paper and stylistically.”
When talking about how Holm could potentially defeat her, Rousey broke things down exactly how they ended up unfolding at UFC 193 — apart from Rousey’s qualifier that she would come out victorious.
“She’s the type of fighter you have to be very, very patient with,” Rousey said. “I feel like she’s going to try to like keep distance and keep far away from me and get me frustrated to the point I’ll make a mistake and she can try to kick me in the head. But it’s not going to go like that. Not the way she wants.”
The event took place at Etihad Stadium in front of a UFC record crowd of 56,214 in Melbourne, Australia.
UFC president Dana White told reporters at the post-fight press conference that an immediate rematch is likely. Holm said she is completely open to a second consecutive bout with Rousey.
