Holly Holm knocks out Ronda Rousey in huge upset at UFC 193

Holly Holm is the new UFC bantamweight champion of the world tonight after a brutal knockout victory over the inimitable Ronda Rousey in front of 50,000+ fans in Melbourne, Australia.

Holm, a huge underdog coming into the fight, looked nervous before the fight but that changed once referee Herb Dean started the action after Rousey refused to touch gloves.

The first two strikes of the fight were landed by Holm as she set out her stall by handing a couple of jarring straight left hands which reddened the face of the champion. Rousey answered back well with strikes of her own but it was clear who was winning the early exchanges as Holm landed shots at will either side of a brief Rousey takedown.

As the fight went on, Holm’s confidence grew and by the time the first round ended it was clearly hers on the scorecard of the judges. Soon, though, those scorecards wouldn’t matter as Holm came out in the second guns ablazin’. The former boxing world champion landed at will on Rousey and when she made her fall over on a clinch attempt the warning signs looked ominous. Holm dazed Rousey with strikes soon after before a huge head kick and a couple of hammerfists put the, seemingly unstoppable, judoka to sleep.

As upsets go, it was one of the biggest ever in UFC history and the question now is whether we will see a rematch or a Rousey retirement.

Here are the full results from UFC 193

Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey via KO in 2nd Rd
Joanna Jedrzejczyk defeated Valerie Letourneau via unanimous decision
Mark Hunt defeated Antonio Silva via TKO in 1st Rd
Robert Whittaker defeated Uriah Hall via unanimous decision
Jared Rosholt defeated Stefan Struve via unanimous decision
Jake Matthews defeated Akbarh Arreola via TKO doctor stoppage after 2nd Rd
Kyle Noke defeated Peter Sobotta via TKO in 1st Rd
Gian Villante defeated Anthony Perosh via KO in 1st Rd
Danny Martinez defeated Richie Vaculik via unanimous decision
Dan Kelly defeated Steve Montgomery via unanimous decision
Richard Walsh defeated Steve Kennedy via unanimous decision
James Moontasri defeated Anton Zafir via TKO in 1st Rd
Ben Nguyen defeated Ryan Benoit via rear-naked choke in 1st Rd