Holly Holm Reveals Post-Fight Words With Ronda Rousey, And It’ll Make You Like Her More

Holly Holm took the world off-guard last Saturday when she first dominated Ronda Rousey, then knocked her out with a brutal head-neck kick at the 59-second mark of Round 2.

Since then, general MMA fans have started taking a liking to the new UFC Bantamweight Champion, and it’s easy to see why.

The 34-year-old former professional boxer has been gracious in victory, even going to bat for Ronda over criticisms from fans and pundits in the aftermath of her brutal loss.

Rousey has said very little since the knockout, going so far as to cover her face when arriving at LAX. UFC President Dana White has spoken a bit for her, telling media outlets that Ronda is “bummed out” by what happened.

She certainly has reason to be. After trying to push Holly Holm around at the weigh-in, she went on a Twitter tirade in which she called Holm a “fake a** b***h.”

Holm’s response has been one of understanding, simply acknowledging that “emotions are high” surrounding a fight, and that she takes none of it personally.

Perhaps the most interesting thing that Holly Holm has said in the post-fight aftermath is not what we’ve already heard, but what she whispered to Ronda after taking her belt and having her arm raised in victory.

On Friday, Holm revealed those words in an interview with Larry King, and if you didn’t like her before, you probably will now. Instead of words of intimidation, or demeaning Rousey, Holms said that she appreciated all Rousey has done.

“I really admire you for being such a great, dominant champion. None of us would be here without you, so I appreciate you.”

Rousey took the compliment about as good as she could have in that situation, heading for the exit immediately after giving Holm a hug.

Holly Holm certainly has a point, and coming from her — a women’s combat trailblazer herself — that was quite the compliment.

Holm had 41 fights of her own before ever stepping into a cage to fight MMA. She also learned in her boxing career what it was like to taste defeat, losing in a brutal knockout in 2011 to Anne Sophie Mathis.

Holly came back strong in her next fight though — a rematch — and reclaimed her belt. Shortly after that, she would make the move to mixed martial arts.

Unfortunately for Ronda, social media has been considerably meaner to her in the week following her first defeat with many making fun of the severity of her defeat.

Earlier in the week, the Inquisitr shared a roundup of some of the meanest (and funniest) Rousey memes that were already popping up on Facebook and Twitter.

Others took to Rousey’s Instagram page to share their thoughts. As of Friday evening, there have been more than 100,000 comments on Ronda’s post-fight statement, and many of them are not good.

“Hope you learned it’s best to stay humble!” said one of the more tame, yet mean comments, referring to the ex-champ’s refusal to touch gloves with Holly Holm.

A second commenter agreed, noting that hopefully, “you’ll reflect back on this, maybe respect your opponents before acting out like you’re cool or something.”

As things stand right now, Rousey has a rematch with Holly Holm if she wants it, though it’s clear to see why she might be standoffish at this point.

Regardless, she’ll have to wait six months for her medical suspension to clear.

In the meantime, she’ll be starring in a remake of Road House, while Holly Holm will be the new sigil bearer for the division.

With how Holly’s been carrying herself, and her show of sportsmanship to Ronda immediately after the fight, women’s MMA is in the best possible hands.

[Image via UFC Facebook]