Holly Holm says she still takes immense pride in her iconic victory over Ronda Rousey more than a decade after their historic clash at UFC 193.
Holm (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) shocked the MMA world in November 2015 when she became the first fighter to defeat Rousey (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), ending the former bantamweight champion’s dominant reign with a devastating head-kick knockout. The victory remains one of the most memorable upsets in UFC history and marked a turning point in women’s MMA.
Rousey’s loss to Holm sent her career into a prolonged hiatus, with “Rowdy” stepping away from competition for a year before returning to face Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Rousey suffered another knockout defeat in that fight and never competed in the Octagon again.
Both fighters have recently returned to the spotlight. Rousey’s comeback bout against Gina Carano under the MVP MMA banner reportedly generated major viewership numbers on Netflix, while Holm is preparing for a rematch against Stephanie Han for the WBA World Female Lightweight title in El Paso, Texas this weekend.
Speaking with Damon Martin of MMA Fighting this week, Holm reflected on the significance of defeating such a dominant champion and emphasized the respect she still has for Rousey.
“The whole reason why me beating her was such a big deal is because she was so dominant,” Holm said. “You have to have a dominant champion in order to have a big upset. So I have all the respect for her and to her. I'll never say anything negative (about her).”
Holm also admitted that, as a fighter, she remains proud not only of the victory itself but of the emphatic fashion in which she secured it.
“Then there's like the fighter pride (side) of things, you know?” Holm continued. “A win is great, but also to try to win that good or put that much of a stamp on something…anybody would be lying if they said they weren't proud of it, you know?”
“I'm proud that I went in and did what I did,” she added. “But I'm a fighter. That's what we do. We go in to win.”
