RONDA Rousey’s reign is over.
The biggest female star in sport suffered a shock defeat against Holly Holm in front of a record-setting audience in Melbourne at UFC 193 on Sunday.
Holm landed a head kick and then followed it up with punches as Rousey fell to the mat to knock the champ out a minute into the second round of the women's bantamweight championship fight.
The result, which will reverberate around the world because of Rousey’s recent rise in popularity, caught everybody off guard.
“This is the biggest upset in the history of MMA,” commentator Joe Rogan said.
Holm, a champion boxer, was simply a better striker. She regularly tagged Rousey and when Rousey tried to take the fight to the ground, Holm avoided damage.
She landed 38 of 53 attempted strikes (72 per cent) compared to Rousey, who found her mark on just 21 of 69 (30 per cent).
Holm becomes the second female bantamweight champion in UFC history, halting Rousey’s run of six consecutive title defences.
“I had so much love and support, I thought ‘how could I not do this?’” Holm said. “This team right here is priceless."
It was by no means a lucky result. Holm controlled the first round by getting her punches off quicker and rattled the champ from the start. All three judges had her winning the first round 10-9.
“Everything we worked on presented itself in the fight,” Holm said.
“I have not spent so much time in the gym in all my life. Everything we worked on happened tonight. I didn’t want to kick her in the body, we went high and yeah.”
Rousey was taken to hospital after the fight to be treated for concussion and a cut on her face.
“She was transported (to hospital) because she got knocked out,” UFC boss Dana White said. “Obviously she’s completely bummed out and depressed ...
“These are the moments in fighting that make it so crazy and so fun.
“Holly was the right fight. Ronda had never faced anyone who uses her length and distance like that.”
Rousey’s future from here is cloudy. A rematch would seem likely at some point, although the UFC doesn’t traditionally hand immediate redemption to fallen champions.
“I think a rematch makes sense, for sure,” Holm said. “I don’t look at this belt and think I’ve made it. There’s still things I need to do.”
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 gate was $9.53 million — a record for Etihad Stadium. “We broke a lot of records here tonight,” White said.
Australians Mark Hunt, Robert Whittaker and Jake Matthews also recorded victories while Kyle Noke won a $50,000 bonus for a devastating kick.
White announced the next event held in Australia — UFC Fight Night — would be in Brisbane on March 20 next year.
Continue reading for a fight by fight wrap of all the action.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (Poland) def Valerie Letourneau (Canada) via unanimous decision (49-46 x 2, 50-45) — Strawweight
Jedrzejczyk defended her belt and stayed undefeated with another performance which showed her striking skills are on par with most in the sport.
Letourneau provided stiff opposition in the co-main event but was regularly beaten to the punch and finished with heavy swelling around her right eye.
“I said Valerie was going to be a tough opponent, I always want to fight the best,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I expected a very long fight; five rounds. Preparation has been great and I’m happy with the victory.”
Jedrzejczyk’s best shot of the bout was a front kick which caught Letourneau perfectly.
“To be honest, nothing surprised me,” Letourneau said. “She did exactly what I thought she was going to do, but I didn’t respond as good as I wanted to.”
Mark Hunt (Aus/NZ) def Antonio Silva (Brazil) via KO, first round (3:41) — Heavyweight
Mark Hunt promised to “knock the lips off” Silva’s face in the first round and delivered with a huge right hand.
In a rematch of one of the greatest heavyweight fights in UFC history, Hunt ensured there would no repeat of their five round war by putting “Big Foot” down early.
“I was ready and trained really hard – I’m ready to go again,” Hunt said. “With rematches, I know not to make the same mistake twice. I have a lot of respect for Bigfoot. We used to train together and he’s a good guy. It’s just work to me, that’s how it is. All I can say is I wasn’t going to let it go three rounds. I’ve got no injuries. So, Dana, if there are any other fights, let me know.”
It was a cautious opening as both men circled each other while only throwing the occasional leg kick. But Hunt caught Silva with one of his first attacks and landed a blow to the side of the head which made the Brazilian’s legs fold.
“My strategy was to take it to the second round, but he didn’t like that strategy,” Silva said. “He hit me and I slipped and then he hit me again. Tonight was his night.”
Robert Whittaker (Aus) def Uriah Hall (Jamaica) via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28) — Middleweight
Australian middleweight contender Robbie Whittaker will move into the top 10 after a close but unanimous decision win against Uriah Hall.
Whittaker is rated by UFC boss Dana White as Australia’s best prospect and he showed why by shading Hall in a fight where the combatants stayed mostly on their feet.
Whittaker was able to turn Hall and gain back control often but wasn’t able to inflict much damage from that position.
He was bleeding from blows to his nose and eye but sent enough significant strikes back the other way to get the nod from the judges.
“This win means everything to me,” Whittaker said. “Fighting at home is one of the biggest honors and privileges I could have. To win in my home country is everything. I’ll go anywhere I need to fight next. If they want me to fight here, I’ll fight here. If they want me to go anywhere else, I’ll fight anywhere else.”
Hall was bothered by an eye problem — which replays showed was the result of a punch, not a poke.
“My eye hurts,” he said. “The first one stung, but after the second one, I couldn’t see at all and I was completely relying on my instincts. I kept doing really dumb things like turning my back. I kept turning because when you can’t see it’s a natural instinct – I’ve never experienced anything like that before. Congrats to Robert.”
Jared Rosholt (US) def Stefan Struve (US) via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3) — Heavyweight
In by far the least popular fight of the day, Rosholt edged “Skyscraper” Struve in a bout which featured little real action.
At seven-foot tall, Struve makes for an awkward opponent. Rosholt looked to take advantage of his expertise as a wrestler by taking the fight to the ground but only managed a couple of takedowns.
“I’m always disappointed and critical of my performance, whether I win or lose,” Rosholt said. “I know that if I keep training the way I am and improving the way I have, I’ll be a world champion someday. I want the winner of Bigfoot Silva vs Mark Hunt next. We’re all fighting on the same night, we’re similar in the rankings and I don’t feel like either of them have someone ahead of them in the rankings they haven’t already fought.”
The crowd jeered throughout the contest, which will do little to advance either fighter’s popularity.
“I’ve got so much more to offer than this,” Struve said. “This was just a horrible performance. I’ve just got to go back to the drawing board. This was probably my worst performance ever.”
UNDERCARD
Jake Matthews (Aus) def Akbarh Arreola (Mexico) via TKO, second round (5:00) — Lightweight
Jake Matthews’ star is back on the rise after a sensational comeback win against experienced Mexican Akbarh Arreola.
Matthews was caught with a solid head kick and some serious punches in the first round before spending several minutes defending himself on the ground.
But he flipped the script late in the first round before taking Arreola down early in the second and smashing him with a series of punches and elbows. The fight was stopped after the round finished.
“Even though I was a bit rocked in the first, I was just trying to keep my composure,” Matthews said. “Everything my jiu jitsu coach told me worked. I just stayed switched on, hit the reversal and finished the first round hard. He’s got great jiu jitsu, so the way to shut him down is just stay on him. That was the gameplan and it worked out.”
Matthews bounced back from a surprise loss in Adelaide earlier this year and improved his record to 10-1.
Kyle Noke (Aus) def Peter Sobotta (Poland) via TKO, first round (2:01) — Welterweight
The fast finishes kept coming as Kyle Noke did some serious damage to the midriff of Peter Sobotta with an expertly delivered front snap kick.
Sobotta gasped in pain and crumpled to the mat, where he was finished with repeated hammer punches.
“That’s about as perfect a front kick as you’re ever going to see in the Octagon,” commentator Joe Rogan said.
It was Noke’s 30th mixed martial fight but only his second at home — and he delivered on the big stage.
“It played out just like we thought it would,” Noke said. “We worked that gameplan every day for the last eight weeks. It was exactly as coach Winkeljohn said it would go. I just went in there and did what he told me to do. It feels unreal. I was dying to get on this card, to go out there and put on a performance like that is amazing for me. It’s a dream come true.”
Gian Villante (US) def Anthony Perosh (Aus) via KO, first round (2:56) — Light heavyweight
Gian Villante made a case for best knockout of the day by buckling Aussie icon Anthony Perosh in the first round.
At age 30, Villante was 13 years younger than his veteran opponent and looked it as he picked shots before landing the killer blow.
“I wanted to get a quick finish so I could watch some reality TV (back in America), the TV in Australia is much more educated,” Villante said. “Perosh kept leading with the right, so I wanted to counter hook or throw a right. The hook wasn’t landing, but I hit him with the right and it landed right on the button. Now, I really want to get home and watch Vanderpump Rules.”
Perosh made no excuses. “My performance was crap. I wanted to win, but he got his game plan off before I did. Good luck to him,” he said.
Danny Martinez (US) def Richie Vaculik (Aus) via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3) — Flyweight
Danny Martinez was too long and too strong for popular Aussie Richie Vaculik, winning all three rounds by landing more strikes and overpowering Vaculik on the ground.
Vaculik, a former big wave surfer from Maroubra in NSW, fought gamely to the end but couldn’t take advantage of the takedowns he managed.
“I knew it was going to be tough,” Vaculik said. “He’s a tough guy and a brawler with good wrestling. I got what I expected, I was just disappointed in myself, but I should have defended the takedowns. I thought while we were striking that I was making him miss and I could have countered. He landed some nice shots himself, and hit some takedowns. I was thinking about those, rather than coming forward. It was a good and fun fight, I just wish I worked the takedown defense more. Hats off to Danny.”
PRELIMINARY FIGHTS
Daniel Kelly (Aus) def Steve Montgomery (US) via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3) — Middleweight
Aussie veteran Daniel Kelly produced an inspired final round to edge US southpaw Steve Montgomery in an entertaining middleweight bout.
Kelly, a former Olympic judo competitor, landed several straight left hands before mounting Montgomery and striking him on the ground.
The victory will extend the career of the 38-year-old from Melbourne. “(I knew) I had to win the (final) round,” Kelly said. “I was very tired. I knew he’d come guns blazing. We were both coming off losses. It’s important not to lose two in a row in this organisation.”
Montgomery, known as the “creepy weasel”, paid tribute to his opponent. “Daniel’s tough. He got off first and put me a mental step behind,” Montgomery said. “There were things I trained to do that I didn’t do. Even if I did them, I was that step behind. Congrats to him for getting off first and doing what he had to do to win.
Richard Walsh (Aus) def Steven Kennedy (Aus) via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28) — Welterweight
We finally saw a fight go the distance as Richard Walsh slugged his way to a unanimous decision win against Steven Kennedy.
Walsh was the far superior man when the fighters were on their feet, landing punches and right kicks at will. Kennedy wanted the fight on the ground but struggled to make takedowns and spent a large portion of the fight in a defensive position on his back. It brought boos from the crowd but Walsh was just happy to get the win.
“I haven’t really taken in the magnitude of this victory yet,” he said. “There was a lot of pressure to get the win since I was coming off two straight losses. It was tough in the lead up and knowing how big the crowd was going to be, but that didn’t change the way I fought today. This is a really special moment and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Kennedy apologies for his performance. “I just want to apologise to everyone that helped me get ready,” he said. “I felt a bit sick, like something didn’t feel right. I got really tired really quickly. Usually I’m really fit. That’s it.”
James Moontasri (US) def Anton Zafir (Aus) via TKO, first round (4:36) — Welterweight
US welterweight James Moontasri produced the second quick finish of UFC 193 by knocking out Aussie Anton Zafir.
Zafir, who accepted the fight on short notice as a replacement for Brendan O’Reilly, took Moontasri down early. But the LA fighter got back to his feet and landed a brutal spinning back kick to Zafir’s body which he followed with a back fist to the head to force the referee to step in.
“When you’re given the opportunity to fight in the UFC, you’ve got to jump on it,” Zafir said. “I’m not blaming the loss down to eight days’ notice. I didn’t lose because I had eight days’ notice. He was the better fighter on the day.”
Ben Nguyen (Aus) def Ryan Benoit (US) via submission (rear naked choke), first round (2:35 sec) — Flyweight
INTERNET sensation Ben Nguyen began UFC 193 on the right note for the Aussie contingent by destroying US opponent Ryan Benoit.
The flyweight opener was stopped late in the first round when Nguyen applied a rear naked choke and forced Benoit to tap out.
Nguyen, from Brisbane, came across the UFC’s radar when footage of his 25 second win against Julian Rabaud went viral.
But he showed he belongs at this level by landing several heavy strikes early against Benoit before dominating him on the ground.
“Every single thing you did was technically perfect,” UFC commentator Joe Rogan told Nguyen.
Nguyen tooks his record to 15 wins from 20 fights and was proud to finish a fight on the ground. “I feel on top of the world, being able to prove myself in striking and now grappling,” he said. “I’ve got my first submission in the UFC, so I’m really happy. I’m still pretty new to the scene, so I’m up for anything next.”
Benoit revealed he’d experienced a disastrous lead-up to the fight. “Yesterday I had to go to the hospital because I had problems rehydrating,” he said. “I think I was thrown off because of the amount of time I had to spend at the hospital. The weight cut didn’t go as smooth as we had planned and I got really sick right after weigh-ins. That’s all I can give you right now, I’m pretty emotional.”
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