WITHIN a matter of moments, Ronda Rousey’s reign as an undefeated UFC champion was over.
Compatriot Holly Holm struck with a calculated attack, a brutal left high kick to the neck and jaw sending Rousey crashing to the canvas. Nursing a badly split lip and suspected concussion, the fallen fighter was taken straight to hospital for the night. Despite the severity of the knockout, Rousey was cleared of concussion.
Ronda Rousey was bloodied and bruised after being knocked out by Holly Holm. Picture: AFP/Paul Crock.Source:AFP
A lucky escape, but the question remains — with several blows to the brain, the blood, the bruises and the bandages, how will Rousey recover for a potential rematch?
Veteran medical practitioner and board member of the Association of Ringside Physicians, Dr Rick Weinstein, said the former undefeated champion was lucky to walk away with just a split lip.
Dr Weinstein, who specialises as a ringside boxing physician as opposed to treating athletes in MMA or UFC, said doctors often compared blows to the head with “a car accident or a hammer to the head”. Dr Weinstein was a key speaker at the International Conference of Mixed Martial Arts and was awarded the Sports Medicine Physician of the Year by the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing.
“When you get hit in the neck, you could hit the artery that gives blood on the brain. Hit an artery enough, and you can lose consciousness. Hitting the ground is another injury to the brain.
“If the head is kicked and spun, the brain is spun which is much more devastating and more likely to injure the brain than a head shot.”
Holly Holm strikes defending champion Ronda Rousey in the face. Picture: AAP/Joe Castro.Source:AAP
But Dr Lou Lewis, an ex-boxer and member of the Combat Sports Authority of NSW, said the blow Ronda received wasn’t overly concerning and that her ego would have sustained more damage than anything else.
“UFC fighters don’t cop many blows to the head because much of the fight is done on the ground,” he said.
“I don’t think there is any permanent damage done to her at all. She had a concussion yes, but you’ll find she will be 100 per cent by tomorrow.
“They are trained for this. Saying it’s been hit by a hammer is too extreme. Her injury was a good kick to the head. It wasn’t that traumatic a blow. If it was every round every minute it would cause significant damage, but I wouldn’t put this in an ‘extreme’ category.”
Holly Holm backs up defending champion Ronda Rousey. Picture: AAP/Joe Castro.Source:AAP
Landing 29 of 38 significant strikes, Dr Lewis praised the UFC as being one of the safer sports in the combat field.
“[There is] protection before the fight, because they are fully healthy and hydrated. After the fight, we medically access them. Any evidence of trauma, that’s when they get breaks of one or two months.
“If you restrict the amount of times they fight, say nine or 10 times a year, which is actually very high, that’s less blows they will receive. The emphasis isn’t on punching, you will see many fights without even one head blow.”
While it might have been the fall of a champion, the rematch is already being talked about, which is where the biggest problems can often occur.
“She needs to recover,” Dr Weinstein said.
“If she rushes back, she could have permanent brain damage.”
Dr Lewis said at least one month of down time would be forced upon Rousey.
“We can extend that as doctors,” he said.
“That’s irrespective of whether you’re knocked out or not. If the referee stops the fight because a fighter is receiving too many blows, that’s a minimum of one month as well. If they take to the ring and it happens again, it’s another two months off.”
Judging by the post-fight press conference, though, it’s not a matter of if, but when, Rousey and Holm meet again.
“Obviously, [Rousey] is completely bummed out and depressed,” UFC president Dana White said.
“The rematch makes a lot of sense. I think the rematch is what people would want to see.”
UFC President Dana White looks forward to a rematch. Picture: Alex Trautwig/Getty Images.Source:Getty Images
Dr Lewis said the UFC would closely monitor Rousey in the lead-up to a second bout with Holm.
“(The) UFC takes head injury rules very seriously so she will have MRIs and MRAs done. They do a lot of investigations in to their fighters,” Dr Lewis said.
With three title defences in nine months, an acting career and even a book, Rousey makes noise, and with that comes the dollars.
On Sunday, the gate was $9.53 million — a record for Etihad Stadium. The official crowd at the event was 56,214, topping the previous UFC record of 55,724 set in Canada at UFC 129 on April 30, 2011.
“The truth is, these athletes need to be protected from themselves or their managers the most,” Dr Weinstein said.
“They feel the urge to get back on the horse, redeem themselves, but they need to allow the brain and self to get full recovery.
“Most importantly, Ronda will need neuro clearance. That cannot be waived by anyone.”
Dr Lewis agreed, saying it was trainers who often put the most pressure on fighters to get back in the ring.
“The trainers are the people who are least likely to make a sensible decision,” he said.
“They don’t see it through the boxer’s eyes. They are only seeing what their fighter is doing to the other person”.
Holly Holm goes in for the final few punches. Picture: AFP/Paul Crock.Source:AFP
Dr Weinstein said the nature of combat sport, which results in blows to the head, could lead to various brain-related complications including behavioural changes, depression and even suicidal tendencies. But according to Dr Lewis, for UFC fighters, the long term damage wouldn’t be evident for some time.
“We won’t know for another 20 years how much long term damage is done,” he said.
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