Holly Holm Rips Ronda Rousey

Holly Holm has opened up on her rivalry with Ronda Rousey, as she blamed the latter for her own decline. 

Holm’s career went to a whole new level when she knocked out Rousey to give the latter her first UFC loss at UFC 193. The win made her the new UFC Bantamweight Champion. Rousey would also lose her next fight to Amanda Nunes, as she left the UFC on two consecutive defeats. Ronda later disclosed that her history of concussions contributed to her poor run of form. The comments divided the public, with many feeling she was making excuses for being outclassed.

In the years following her sudden retirement, Rousey has frequently lashed out at the media and the MMA fanbase, expressing deep-seated resentment over how she was treated following her losses. Holm believes Rousey’s career ended on a sour note because of Rousey’s own choices. Holm argued that while Rousey’s success was historic, her inability to handle defeat with grace—and her decision to turn on the community that once idolized her—did her legacy no favors.

Rousey Reacts

“I think Ronda, she definitely didn’t like how her career ended, but she’s a lot responsible for that,. Because she pulled herself away. You see some of these champions that are reigning champions, they run into a hiccup and they at least face the crowd, face the camera, face the fans, face it. I believe a little bit of higher respect in that aspect, and I think that a lot of fans were like she just took off.

“If she was to come back for a fight, people would cheer for her. I feel like she always feels like everybody’s against her, but she took herself away from the fans rather than them leaving her. Martial arts fans and fight fans, they can be brutal but also they’re fans, they’re fans of the sport. They realize things happen, not everything is always perfect, and I think if she would have faced it differently, no judgment on it, but I think if she would have faced it differently, it probably wouldn’t have been so negative as a whole in her own mind and how she felt,” Holm said