UFC 193: Rousey ready to extend rampant record against Holm
Published:
Lee Gormley | November 12, 2015
Ronda Rousey v Holly Holm
- UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship fight
- Sunday, November 15th
- Scheduled for: 04:00 GMT
- Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Australia
- Live on BT Sport 2
Rousey and Holm square-off at UFC 193
In front of a potentially record-breaking 56k crowd in Australia’s major city, UFC Women’s superstar Ronda Rousey will look to continue her rampant octagon record against fellow undefeated fighter Holly Holm, as the deadly pair prepare for their Melbourne meeting.
Rousey (12-0-0), highly regarded as the best female fighter on the planet, puts her bantamweight championship belt on the line once again, but faces a possibly sterner test against an opponent who is no stranger to silverware herself.
New Mexico-born Holm (9-0-0) isn’t your usual UFC fighter, having first enjoyed a successful boxing and kick-boxing career, but she will need to call upon all of her natural fighting skills in order to overcome Rousey, which she is 9/1 with Coral to do.
Early night for Holm?
On Australian soil, both fighters will collide at the Etihad Stadium, on a UFC card that could shatter previous attendance records, but not many hold much hope for 34-year-old Holm, against a dominant fighter renowned for ending her bouts extremely early.
Incredibly, Rousey’s quickest UFC contest to date has been her 14 second TKO triumph over Cat Zingano earlier this year, with the current bantamweight champion also having knocked out Bethe Correia in just 34 seconds in August.
Rousey’s early dominance is evident from odds of 1/3 for a first round triumph and 2/5 for a trademark submission victory in Melbourne, but she is a more appealing 5/2 to win by KO once again, after suggesting Holm couldn’t handle the fame that would come with beating her.
“I don’t think she would be comfortable with it,” declared the 28-year-old. “It would take away from her quality of life. I don’t think it is for some people. The kind of an environment I am in is not what Holly would like.
I will be able to handle it..”
“I hope that she takes whatever she gets for losing and has a life that she would like a lot more than this. I hope that she accepts her loss in a healthy way.”
Although, Holm, an accomplished boxer in her own right, responded to such jibes, stating: “Of course I would not be happier if I lost. Maybe she said that because she has a lot of pressure on her. Trust me, I will be able to handle it.”
Holm tasted defeat on just two occasions in her previous boxing career, recording an impressive 35 victories and was voted Female Fighter of the Year on two occasions, but she is an 11/1 outsider to KO Rousey in Melbourne.
“Every fighter has their strengths and anything can happen. I know I have big things ahead of me and I am certainly not going into this fight thinking I am going to lose,” continued Holm.
Rousey inspired by support
As well as being the most feared female fighter around, Rousey has also become a hit in Hollywood, shooting to on-screen stardom, so she is used to dealing with rapturous adoring crowds.
Though, during preparations for her Holm encounter, the American, rightfully nicknamed ‘the Arm Collector’, was in awe of such support she received from the Australian fans.
“This is crazy. I really hope I deserve this,” Rousey added. “I’m trying my best to [believe I] deserve it. I really am. But sometimes you just get wrapped up in how amazing all of this is,” explained Rousey.
“You get so focused on the fight and it causes so much fear and anxiety and stress in you and you kind of lose sight of how amazing it is sometimes. This fight has really been an opportunity to see that.”
Roach backs Rousey
With the hype surrounding this UFC 193 match-up, it has drawn in many fans and critics from other sports, with Miguel Cotto’s current coach and legendary trainer Freddie Roach weighing in on Holm’s chances.
“Holly was a good boxer, she beat some good fighters,” stated Roach. “The thing is, she knows the ground game so much better than boxing. I like Ronda to win that fight pretty easily.
“She’s not the best boxer in the world, but she’s good. She’s very competitive and she tries really hard. I mean, it’s not probably the best thing she does, I think she is better at the ground game.”
Conor McGregor’s long-awaited featherweight title scrap with Jose Aldo will be the highlight of next month in the UFC, but it’s Ronda Rousey who will seek to make the headlines once again when she looks to add Holm to her growing list of victims in the early hours of Sunday morning.
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