Rousey’s UFC return hitting home for Holm
THE moment of truth will come the first time Amanda Nunes’ fist connects with Ronda Rousey’s face. That’s when Holly Holm will know whether Rousey will have a chance to regain the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 207 Friday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Holm wouldn’t make a prediction on the much-anticipated pay-perview bout, but is interested to see how Rousey looks in her first return to the Octagon since Holm defeated her 13 months ago.
“Anything can happen,” Holm told The Post. “I do think it comes down to what Ronda shows up. Is she going to get hit and question herself ? Or is she going to get hit and think, ‘Nope not tonight, not again.’ That’s going to be the moment.”
Holm stripped Rousey of her invincibility by scoring a stunning second-round knockout in their fight Nov. 15, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia, before 54,214 fans at Etihad Stadium. The 18-time women’s boxing champion from Albuquerque, N.M., repeatedly tagged Rousey with a straight left hand. By the end of the first round, Rousey was bleeding and frustrated.
Rousey tried to close the distance in the second round, but Holm was able to maintain space and avoid takedowns. The end came when Holm landed a left to the chin and followed with a leg kick to the head that sent Rousey to the canvas, where Holm pounced on her to finish the fight.
Rousey had won all 12 of her previous MMA fights, including six straight in the UFC. But the loss shattered that dominance and Rousey later said she went to such a dark place dealing with the loss that she entertained thoughts of killing herself.
“What am I anymore if I’m not this?” Rousey asked on Ellen DeGeneres’ show in February.
While Rousey took time off to repair her mental and physical health and to appear in movies, Holm lost her first title defense to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 in March when she was submitted in the fifth round. She then lost a fiveround decision to Valentina Shevchenko in July.
“I just didn’t perform in there,” Holm said of her most recent bout. “That’s my fault. One of the biggest things I need to do is make sure I’m focused and present when the fight is going. That’s definitely one of the things I’ve been focusing on.”
Despite the back-to-back losses, Holm (10-2) will face Germaine de Randamie (6-3) of the Netherlands at UFC 208 on Feb. 11 at Barclays Center for the championship of the newly created 145-pound women’s featherweight division. Tickets for the pay-perview event are on sale at the usual outlets.
“To be able to have the opportunity to fight for a different belt in another weight class is a thing that’s definitely a motivation for me,” Holm said.
The creation of the 145-division has been long discussed as a means of getting Cris “Cyborg” Justino prominence in the UFC. But Cyborg (17-1) turned down being part of UFC 208 because she wanted more preparation time after a drastic weight cut to 140 pounds in her last fight in September. Now she faces possible suspension after being notified by USADA this week of an anti-doping violation. Cyborg said in a statement she tested positive for Spironolactone, which was administered by her doctor to help her recover from the weight cut.
Holm isn’t concerned about Cyborg or a potential rematch with Rousey, which seems inevitable.
“I don’t waste too much time on that. I just want to focus on the opportunity I have,” she said. “A lot depends on how Dec. 30 goes when [Rousey] fights. It could be a victory for Amanda Nunes and it could be a victory for Ronda. Then obviously we have to see what happens Feb. 11 when I fight and what happens there. There’s a lot that can happen between now and Feb. 11.”