Were we Blinded into Thinking Holm Couldn't Beat Rousey?

Was Holly Holm really that much out of her league and was it really that much of an upset? When MMA fans think about it Holly Holm was supposed to be one of the biggest challenges to the title of Ronda Rousey from the get go. From the time that Holly Holm signed to the UFC she was claimed to be one of the biggest challenges to Ronda Rouseys title to cement her legacy. Because not only was she a championship boxer But she also had the kickboxing skills to knock people out flat before they hit the floor. And even then when she did not knock her victims out she was still outclassing them on the feet by miles




Alot of fans believed that Holm's debut against Raquel Pennington was a big showcase in proving she wasn't the big hype that she was meant to be in taking down Ronda Rousey. And even after beating Marion Reneau that she still needed work in her striking game to be able to stand and trade with Rousey. Ironic? Yep. And when the bout was announced that Miesha Tate who was passed up for her third title shot and Holly Holm was going to get the shot, many fans thought she was getting tossed to the wolves for entertainment. But how quickly things started to change the closer it came to fight time. More and more people started seeing the technical skills but still denying her chances at actually beating Rousey as she had never finishes anyone in the UFC with her many combat sports accolades.

The only thing left for people to people to figure out was how skilled she was in her takedown defense to deal with the judo and clinch work of Rousey. Something that not alot of fans got to see as most of her fights were nearly pure striking matches. So for people to feel like this is the biggest upset because Holm was a bit outclassed might be a bit off, but maybe because everyone expected Ronda Rousey to be so dominant that she could not lose? Was the air of invincibility around Ronda Rousey that even a championship boxer with titles in 3 different divisions could not outclass a tough brawler with elite level judo and bjj skills? Can we as MMA fans really be that surprised even with her working with the famed Winklejohn camp and former champion Jon Jones that they couldn't come up with a plan to beat the "Most Dominant Athlete Alive"?