Holly Holm snubbed the chance to add to Ronda Rousey’s recent misery, offering a neutral answer when asked whether her UFC 193 opponent is a “jerk.”
Holm, who stunned the world with her knockout win over Rousey earlier in November, joined Ryen Russillo and Danny Kanell on their radio show recently and was asked the blunt question on-air. As we can hear in the following clip, the new UFC bantamweight champion gave an intriguing response:
“I think she’s very confident and carries herself with a more confident posture than myself,” laughed Holm when asked. “I think she’s just a competitive person.”
Rousey didn’t do herself many favours with the manner in which she conducted herself prior to the fight. For some, her previous persona had slowly started to become arrogance, and the fact the then-champion refused the opportunity to touch gloves with Holm prior to the fight seemed a little disrespectful to her opponent.
Steve Lai of Channel NewsAsia expressed his disappointment at Rousey’s conduct ahead of the showdown in Melbourne, Australia:
Indeed, Rousey was previously adored by a lot of MMA fans, but in the wake of the loss, her popularity has taken a beating. Questions like the one put to Holm by Russillo and Kanell would certainly not have been asked ahead of the fight, with the former champion viewed as a role model and an inspiration to many.
The focus on Rousey in the aftermath of her loss has also detracted from the quality performance put in by Holm. Despite her opponent’s reputation as immaculate inside the Octagon, Holm executed her game plan superbly, setting Rousey up with a strong left before her brutal high kick sent the 28-year-old to the canvas.
Holm was asked by Damon Martin of FoxSports.com how many times she’s watched the historic moment:
Kind of a lot. I never really watch my fights. My first UFC fight I didn't watch it until after my second UFC fight was over. There's some that I watch right away and if I do watch I usually watch it more than once. ...
This one, highlights were everywhere and it's one of those things, too, that a lot of people around me are like 'oh my gosh Holly this is my favourite part of the fight' and they'll show me. So I have seen it multiple times but then of course with all the interviews they show the film so I've probably seen it like 30 times from what other people showed. It's been awesome.
It’s a moment she deserves to relive over and over. As we can see, courtesy of UFC on Fox, it was some finish from the former world champion boxer:
It’s unlikely to ever get tiresome for Holm, who has thrust herself to the summit of the sport. Coping with the spotlight trained upon her will be a challenge for the new champion, but she can certainly comfort herself in knowing that in toppling a fighter who was thought to be unbeatable, she’s already overcome the biggest hurdle in her MMA career.
As ESPN Stats & Info note here, Holm has also achieved an unprecedented landmark after winning a UFC world title:
While there are plenty happy to castigate Rousey in the wake of her loss, it’s certainly worth remembering all of the good she’s done for the sport.
Holm seems at ease with the spotlight, and that’ll serve her well with the inevitable increase in focus to come when she does fight again.
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