Holly Holm snubbed the chance to add to Ronda Rousey’s recent misery, offering a neutral answer when asked whether her UFC 193 opponent is a “jerk.”
Holm, who stunned the world with her knockout win over Rousey earlier this month, joined Ryen Russillo and Danny Kanell on their radio show recently and was asked the blunt question on air. As we can hear in the following clip, the new UFC bantamweight champion gave an intriguing response:
“I think she’s very confident and carries herself with a more confident posture than myself,” laughed Holm when asked. “I think she’s just a competitive person.”
Rousey didn’t do herself many favours in the manner in which she conducted herself prior to the fight. For some, her previous persona had slowly started to become arrogance and the fact the then-champion refused the opportunity to touch gloves with Holm prior to the fight seemed a little disrespectful to her opponent.
Steve Lai of Channel NewsAsia expressed his disappointment at Rousey’s conduct ahead of the showdown in Melbourne, Australia:
Was Rousey's pre - fight trash talking and refusal to touch gloves just for show? Thought she was bigger than that. https://t.co/OUElZwv3nT
— Steve Lai (@stevelai) November 16, 2015
Indeed, Rousey was previously adored by a lot of MMA fans but in the wake of this loss, her popularity has taken a beating. Questions like the one put to Holm by Russillo and Kanell would certainly not have been asked ahead of the fight, with the former champion viewed as a role model and inspiration to many.
The focus on Rousey in the aftermath of her loss has also detracted from the quality performance put in by Holm. Despite her opponent’s reputation as immaculate inside the Octagon, Holm executed her game plan superbly, setting Rousey up with a strong left, before a brutal high kick sent her to the canvas.
Holm was asked by Damon Martin of FOX Sports how many times she’s watched the historic moment back:
Kind of a lot. I never really watch my fights. My first UFC fight I didn't watch it until after my second UFC fight was over. There's some that I watch right away and if I do watch I usually watch it more than once. ...
This one, highlights were everywhere and it's one of those things, too, that a lot of people around me are like 'oh my gosh Holly this is my favourite part of the fight' and they'll show me. So I have seen it multiple times but then of course with all the interviews they show the film so I've probably seen it like 30 times from what other people showed. It's been awesome.
And it’s a moment she deserves to relive over and over. As we can see courtesy of UFC on Fox, it was some finish from the former world champion boxer:
It’s unlikely to ever get tiresome for Holm, who has thrust herself to the summit of the sport. Coping with the spotlight trained upon her will be a challenge for the new champion, but she can certainly comfort herself in knowing that in toppling a fighter who was thought to be unbeatable, she’s already overcome the biggest hurdle in her MMA career.
As ESPN Stats & Info note here, Holm has also achieved an unprecedented landmark after winning a UFC world title:
Holly Holm, the only person to win world titles in boxing and UFC, up next on SportsCenter (ESPN, Watch: https://t.co/rE7eYulB1X)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 24, 2015
While there are plenty happy to castigate Rousey in the wake of her loss, it’s certainly worth remembering all the good she’s done for the sport.
Holm seems at ease with the spotlight and that’ll serve her well with the inevitable increase in focus to come when she does fight again.
