As The Dust Settles: All The News Following Ronda Rousey’s Huge Loss To Holly Holm

We’re a few days out from one of the most shocking upsets in UFC history: Holly Holm knocking Ronda Rousey out with a brutal headkick. There have been endless articles and news stories coming out, so to help you, we’ve decided to compile a bunch of it now that the dust has settled so you know what’s going on.

First, some key points: Ronda Rousey sent out a message to fans on Monday saying she wasn’t seriously hurt in the fight and is going to take a break for a while. It’s looking like the UFC is going to set up a rematch between Holm and Rousey for UFC 200 in July. And now, the rest…

A Lot Of Blame Is Being Thrown At Ronda’s Coach

While Rousey is definitely on the receiving end of a lot of post-loss shade, an equal amount is being directed toward her coach Edmond Tarverdyan for what many feel was a poor game plan and even worse cornering during the fight. After the first round, Tarverdyan told Rousey she was “doing a good job” and offered little substantial advice through the fight. And comments to ESPN after the fight aren’t helping the perception that he oversold Ronda’s boxing skills.

“I wouldn’t say in the striking game she was getting the best of Ronda, you know, but I have to watch it again. But we know this was not a striking match; we know that Ronda is smart enough to take the fight where she is best at and today she did. Holly stopped an attempt on an armbar and stopped some of the takedowns. She did a good job.”

Other than the first line, nothing too controversial there. But the entire mixed-martial-arts media is on a witch hunt, blaming Edmond for Ronda’s loss and speculating on which camp Rousey might join after ditching Tarverdyan. Even notoriously reasonable analyst Jack Slack has damning words for Edmond:

Even after dropping a clear 10-8 round in the first, her coach was telling her she was ‘perfect’. She may have believed she was an excellent striker, god knows the people around her told her it enough. What she really needs is to get away from her current gym and trainers and to move into a truly elite camp where she can be surrounded by fighters who will do what Holm did to her day-to-day until she learns that bull rushing is not the key to beating elite fighters or to career longevity.

Rousey and Tarverdyan are extremely close, so it’s doubtful she’ll abandon him after this loss. But who knows, maybe she will at least take some of the advice being thrown around here and supplement her training with another top camp.

Casinos Lost Their Shirts Over Underdog Bets

It was a bad night for sportsbooks that allowed big betting action on the Rousey/Holm fight. According to UFC president Dana White, the sportsbook at the Bellagio Casino in Vegas had to shut down for an hour after the fight because they didn’t have enough money to pay the people that bet on Holly Holm. And this quote from the Las Vegas Journal Review shows how much businesses were hurt:

“Everything we won on college football we gave back on that fight,” Golden Nugget book director Tony Miller said. “We got killed on it. It was so lopsided with all underdog money.”
…
“The results around town were not good. Most books got crushed, as typical underdog betting was popular. The low-risk, high-reward scenario was appealing, as usual.”

UFC 193 saw Ronda Rousey at a staggering -1650 and Holly Holm a +750 underdog. The current odds for a rematch have Rousey at -140 and Holm at +120, a much more even betting line.

Haters Gonna Hate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9r7D4CLqG0

The haters were out in full force after Ronda Rousey lost, with Miesha Tate in front throwing some serious expletives at her nemesis. “I’m f*cking stoked. Honestly, f*ck Ronda Rousey. Nobody has the right to beat you? Well, you just got beat, b*tch.”

There were some unique tweets from unique people. Donald Trump celebrated Rousey’s loss with a tweet. Even Lady Gaga got in on the anti-Rousey action:

 

Rapper 50 Cent was also among those celebrating her loss, claiming Floyd Mayweather made him ‘do the dirty work’ and post a funny meme on Instagram. That may have been the case, but publicly, Floyd took a classier road.

Longtime would-be Rousey opponent Cris Cyborg also had thoughts on the fight (via Bloody Elbow):

“I knew the way. I already knew Ronda could not take a punch. … I believe that’s why Ronda said she would only fight me if I dropped to bantamweight, because she’s aware of my physical strength, my size, and she knows that would be a problem for her. Holly Holm is as tall as me, it’s the same, there was no need for someone from a heavier weight class. She came from the same weight class and showed Ronda reality.”

“In fact, Ronda avoided this fight because she wanted to be unbeatable, she wanted to remain undefeated. We will see what happens next and how she handles the loss. … After Holly Holm, it was supposed to be me and her, as Dana White said. I don’t know what will happen now, but I sure am ready and I will be ready the day this fights comes along. I think it was fight that should have happened already.”

Still Lots Of Support For The Former Champ

It wasn’t all disses and funny memes being thrown Ronda Rousey’s way. A lot of former champions who know what it feels like to fall from great heights threw support her way. Here’s Anderson Silva with a heartfelt message:

https://www.instagram.com/spiderandersonsilva/

 

And her friend Mike Tyson:

And George Foreman…

And of course, Ronda’s mom is still in her daughter’s corner.

Meanwhile, Holly Holm Is Getting All The Love

November is now Holly Holm month in her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico! This isn’t just some Johnny Come Lately pandering to the new champ; most of Holly’s championship boxing bouts were held in Albuquerque because of the strong local support shown to her.

Friend, teammate, and former UFC light heavyweight champion also weighed in on Holm’s win, gushing over her dedication and performance.

Holm is being gracious in victory and defended Rousey to the press, telling TMZ that people should stop trashing the former women’s bantamweight champ.

“I’ll take the win and I’ll take that I did it dominantly. But that doesn’t mean that I wish any harm on her, that I wish any hate on her. I think people can be pretty brutal and when you’re in the spot she’s in, there are gonna be people who are gonna jump ship, and I don’t ever wish for that.”

Now Watch: Will Ronda Rousey And Holly Holm Get The Rematch They Deserve?