Holly Holm Defends Ronda Rousey from People without “Nerve”
Let’s tell the truth, many people were just waiting for Ronda Rousey to lose; to throw on her all they had to shut up till Saturday night. It’s inevitable, it’s part of the sport, especially when you are dealing with as strong and as polarizing a personality as the former Bantamweight Champion possesses. So from the moment she landed unconscious on the Melbourne mat, she has been the object of all kind of attacks from everywhere: bashed, criticized and derided by colleagues, opponents, fans and also celebrities such as 50 Cent or Justin Bieber and even (pseudo) politician Donald Trump. Even less surprising has been the support and respect that many big names of this beautiful sport have shown to her. Anderson Silva, B.J. Penn, Daniel Cormier, Nick Diaz, even Floyd Mayweather and now her very own executioner: Holly Holm.
“I hope people don’t get too brutal with it,” Holm said on The Dan Patrick Show . “This is a hard job to be in and a lot of people can’t get in there. When you get in that Octagon, it’s one of the loneliest places in the world, because it’s only up to you to do it. A lot of people wouldn’t even have the nerve to be able to get in and just put it all on the line. Millions of people are watching you and you might get knocked out, you might not. You might do well, you might not. But you kind of have to go in being OK with knowing millions of people are going to be watching this. There’s a reason why only certain people fight. You’re putting yourself out there and you know people are going to say something one way or another.”
It’s hard to say whether or not Rousey would have shown as much empathy towards her opponent as Holm did, and this may be one of the reasons she is now coming under fire.
“Any time you’re on top, people are going to want to talk one way or another. She’s been pretty vocal in her career; I think it’s easier for people to want to pick at things. I think she’s strong enough. She can handle that.”
Right after the fight, Rousey was taken to the hospital where she went through plastic surgery to heal a split lower lip. On her way back to Los Angeles, Rousey covered her face with a pillow to hide from the cameras waiting for her at the airport. For all of us that are used to her always beaming smile, that was not a good sight.
“I hope she’s doing well. I know she’s obviously been at the top for a reason. She’s very dominant and a great athlete. She’s been the reigning champion for a long time. I’m sure she’ll come back soon.”
In front of over 56,000 in attendance, the biggest card in UFC history, the Octagon showed once again its paradoxical nature. On one side, Rousey tasted loss for the first time in her MMA career, while across the cage Holm was celebrating a monumental triumph culminating an already highly decorated career in combat sports.
“It’s kind of a brutal place to be, but it’s what makes winning that awesome and makes losing that devastating. But it makes winning that awesome. If you’re a fighter, you’re always chasing that feeling of that victory. That’s why we do it.”
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