Ronda Rousey is undefeated no more.
The undisputed UFC Bantamweight Champion came into last night's fight with Holy Holm with a perfectly unblemished 12-0 record that included 11 first-round stoppages. Her dominance in six previous title defenses helped establish her as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and, perhaps more importantly, one of the UFC's biggest draws in history.
Rousey's past few cards have been some of the best selling pay-per-view events in UFC history. Heading into her cage match with Holm, the number of purchases were trending that way once again. People want to see Rousey, she is a magnet for attention and that is a commodity every professional sport needs: star power.
But that star dimmed slightly last night.
Holm was able to take home a KO victory against the previously unbeaten champ thanks to a sound game plan and solid execution. The challenger consistently won the stand-up battle with well-placed combinations that took their toll on Rousey as the fight wore on. At one point, Holm was even able to take Rousey down though let her back up due to the disparity in striking. A vicious head kick secured Holm the belt in Round 2.
Despite her impressive base in judo, Rousey was unable to make anything happen from the clinch position or successfully go after her world-class arm bar when the action went to the ground. She seemed to fight wildly at times and clearly did not respect her opponent.
The loss comes at an interesting time for the UFC. Though, form a business perspective, it sets up a massively appealing rematch (maybe even at UFC 200 next year), it also diminishes arguably the sport's leading star.
Former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been reinstated which could help the UFC fill the void with his elite talent, but his reputation has been tarnished by his multiple run-ins with the law. Interim featherweight champion Connor McGregor is still well and good, but his attention-grabbing schtick appears to be wearing thin with fans.
Right now, you could argue that the UFC needs Rousey to continue being compelling for the good of the sport. How she responds to her first defeat will certainly be an interesting storyline to follow.
