I remember waking up Sunday morning, walking to the kitchen and checking Twitter – as I do every morning, mentally planning how I will spend my NFL Sunday. I did not not expect my jaw to drop upon learning the result of the Ronda Rousey – Holly Holm fight.
Rousey lost by knockout. In the second round.
Then I tuned into ESPN to see the highlights. My jaw dropped even more after witnessing Rousey get smacked around the octagon.
I never expected Holm to dominate as she did from start to finish. Rousey never had a chance.
So now begs the following question: will this help or hurt the UFC?
I think there is no doubt that this would help UFC – in a big way.
First of all, Holm now gives president Dana White and the UFC another fighter to market to corporate America. And if you have seen Holm outside of the octagon, you would agree that corporate America would more than welcome her.
And it doesn’t have to be predicated on Holm’s looks. Holm is now the first athlete to claim an MMA championship and a world boxing championship.
Suffice it to say, Holm gives the UFC a second badass for corporate America to chew on.
Make no mistake, Rousey will be back. All champions fall on their faces at times when facing the best in their primes (take that, Floyd Mayweather). Rousey will pick herself up and come back with a vengeance.
And you know that the build-up to a rematch between the two will be nothing short of epic. I anticipate several Pay-Per-View buys for the fight. Hell, I may get in on the action.
White and UFC fans everywhere were good with marketing Rousey alone. Now that she has a legit rival in Holm, they have to be salivating at the possibilities.
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