Out of all the sins Ronda Rousey has committed in the eyes of her critics, none was so unforgivable as her refusal to touch gloves with Holly Holm as they squared off in the Octagon. In the aftermath of her defeat, a chorus of “That’s what you get!” rose from the masses, with unlikely celebrities like Lady Gaga getting in on the action.
But as far as Ronda Rousey was concerned, not touching gloves was a response to Holm’s “cheap hit” on her during the weigh-ins. Via this excellent post-fight profile by with ESPN:
“It was just like a reaction,” Rousey says about her decision not to touch gloves with Holm before the fight. “I was like, ‘The last time I saw you [at the weigh-in], you were putting your fist on my chin and trying to get a cheap hit on me, then you turn around and you want to touch gloves? You have to be one way or the other. So if you want to be that way with me, that’s the way it is.'”
Let’s take a look at the incident Rousey is talking about:
https://twitter.com/GrabakaHitman/status/665297660786679809
At first glance, it definitely looks like Holm intentionally shoves off on Rousey’s face. But watch again and you’ll notice that it’s actually Ronda’s own arm that pushes on Holly’s arm, creating the cheap shot she’s complaining about. Holm definitely laid her fist against Rousey’s jaw first, though.
Considering Ronda hasn’t turned on her phone or read anything about the fight since her loss, it’s doubtful she realizes it was more of a heat of the moment mishap than a genuine cheap shot. In her mind, Holly Holm disrespected her at the weigh-ins and not touching gloves was the appropriate response.
But, of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this from Rousey …