Dana White Claims Ronda Rousey Is A ‘Bigger Star’ After Holly Holm Knocked Her Out
If one were to ask who the biggest star in MMA is, most people will default to Ronda Rousey. Since her debut back in 2011, “Rowdy” has literally dominated her division, steamrolling over anyone she faces. Not only that, Rousey probably has spent the least amount of time in the cage, as her first 12 fights totaled just over 30 minutes. Finally, Rousey is the inaugural UFC women’s bantamweight champion having success in defending it six times (eight if one were to include the time when it was the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship).
Needless to say, Ronda Rousey seemed to be untouchable, a superhuman in a division that lacks true fighting talent. That was until UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm. Within 59 seconds of the second round, Rousey was humanized when Holly Holm defeated her. Not only did “The Preacher’s Daughter” win, but she did it in the most ruthless way possible: a knockout caused by a wicked kick to the head (video attached below). People would think Rousey’s career would nosedive after such a loss. Dana White on the other hand thinks otherwise. The president of UFC actually claims that Rousey is now a “bigger star” after getting knocked out by Holm.
Dana White made such a statement while appearing on ESPN’s First Take. According to MMA Junkie, White made a statement that points to Ronda Rousey being a “bigger star” now than before her monumental loss.
“It’s crazy because you win and lose in the fight game; it happens. It’s funny, because we were comparing her to [former boxing champion Mike] Tyson, who had this invincibility. She was a Tyson. And it was never more true than when she lost – because when she lost, everybody was shocked. One hundred million people were talking about it on social media. And I actually think Ronda Rousey is bigger now after the loss than she was before the fight.”
The Mike Tyson reference was definitely true for Ronda Rousey’s fight against Holly Holm. Prior to Tyson’s loss, he was considered invincible, indestructible, and unable to be defeated. So when Tyson went against Buster Douglas, he was a 42-1 in favor to win. What people failed to realize is that Douglas knew the science of boxing, unlike Tyson who was a brawler with power. Douglas remained swift, keeping his distance from Tyson’s reach and only coming in to pepper the champ when it was safe. This game plan surely worked because Douglas not only won, but knocked out Tyson in the third round.
With such an accomplishment, news should have concentrated on Buster Douglas and how he won, what his strategy was, and how he felt slaying the giant known as Mike Tyson. Instead, news concentrated on Tyson more so than Douglas. The same goes for Ronda Rousey losing to Holly Holm. Comparing the news on the two, there is more news on Rousey losing in contrast to Holm winning.
So in a way, Dana White may be correct when he says Ronda Rousey is a “bigger star” now after Holly Holm knocked her out. On the other hand, by making such a claim, White may just be keeping the hype for the upcoming rematch fresh. Rousey is on medical suspension up to six months, as reported by The Score. Given how dynamic MMA is, people can easily put such a fight on the back burner. White has to do what he can to keep such a topic valid.
[Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]
