Ronda Rousey had maintained that her seventh UFC bantamweight title defense would not unfold as her opponent intended.
Recently, Rousey has faced calls to avoid returning to the Octagon, primarily because the sport has significantly evolved since her departure. As the UFC`s inaugural female champion, Rousey was a groundbreaking star, dominating her opposition for years during her spectacular title reign.
Her devastating knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 marked the end of one of MMA`s most iconic runs. Crucially, it signaled a changing of the guard, demonstrating that `Rowdy` was unable to stop her opponent`s game plan, even though she knew exactly what Holm would attempt.
Ronda Rousey`s Premonition: Knowing Holly Holm`s Game Plan at UFC 193
Current UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison aims to leverage her judo expertise to potentially become the greatest female MMA fighter ever. Rousey employed a similar strategy earlier, using her superior grappling to dominate opponents on the ground. However, her first career loss occurred when her inability to utilize her ground game exposed major shortcomings in her overall skillset.
Although Dana White defended Rousey`s performance against Holm, Rousey herself later admitted her initial game plan failed early on. Nevertheless, she had a strong grasp of how Holm intended to defeat her.
During an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ just over a month before the defense, the champion eerily foretold her own downfall:
“This one’s gonna be a much longer fight… She’s the type of fighter that you have to be very patient with. I feel like she’s going to try and keep distance and keep far away from me and get me frustrated to a point where I’ll make a mistake and she can try and kick me in the head but it’s not going to go like that. Not the way that she wants.”
The segment she appeared in, discussing the impending threat of Holm, is available below:
Confidence Unchallenged: Rousey`s Unbeaten Streak Before UFC 193
In the lead-up to UFC 193, Rousey praised Holm, acknowledging that her style would be the toughest challenge yet. However, she had experienced almost no adversity in the Octagon, with her four previous title defenses all ending in the first round, often in under a minute.
Rousey’s fierce confidence was evident in a 2015 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
“If I make the fight fast, that means I like you… That’s me at my most merciful. She got to go home with a payment to go buy a house. She had a great night if you think about it. But, with this next chick, who I don’t like, it’s not going to be like that. She’s going to walk out looking different than she did walking in.”
Despite her prediction of Holm`s strategy—maintaining distance and aiming for a head kick—Rousey`s confidence in her own ability to counter it proved ultimately misplaced.
