Ronda Rousey is the world’s baddest woman no longer.
With her bantamweight title on the line at UFC 193 at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, Rousey suffered a shocking upset to Holly Holm, who delivered the first loss of Rousey’s fighting career and became the second female bantamweight champion in UFC history, according to ESPN.
Despite being a former world boxing champion, Holm came into the fight as a huge underdog, and her victory over Rousey is the biggest upset in UFC history. Holm closed as a plus-800 underdog against Rousey, meaning bettors had to bet $100 to win $800.
Holm (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) dominated the fight before finishing Rousey with a left head kick 59 seconds into the second round that left the crowd visibly stunned. Rousey (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was famously known for finishing her fights quickly, with only one fight (against Miesha Tate) making it past the first round. Eight of her wins have come in less than a minute.
Despite her strong background in Judo, Rousey attempted to engage Holm on her feet in the first round, eating several punches to the face as she tried unsuccessfully to corner and outbox the veteran kickboxer. In the second round, a noticeably exhausted Rousey again attempted to chase after Holm, before slipping several times and getting caught with a powerful head kick that ended the fight.
The knockout marked the explosive conclusion to UFC 193, which also saw Rousey getting into an altercation with Holm at the weigh-ins. In beating Rousey, Holm also made history by becoming the first fighter, male or female, to hold world titles in both boxing and mixed martial arts.
“I don't know, I'm trying to take it all in. This is crazy!” Holm said immediately after the fight. “Getting in here, I just felt so much support -- I thought, 'How can I not do this with all this support?' I had the best coaching, from standup to grappling to wrestling.”
A Rousey-Holm rematch is likely already in the works, according to UFC boss Dana White.
“A rematch makes a lot of sense,” White said. “I think the rematch is what people will want to see. It changes a lot of things -- Cyborg (Cris Justino) fight, some other stuff we were working on. It's one of those moments, these are the moments in fighting that make it so crazy and so fun. Tonight was one of those moments.”