Holm: Rousey was not all just media hype
“I’m not as bold as Chael to go out and say that. There was media around her but she was able to go in and take care of these girls so I hate to say that she’s all hype.”
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm appeared recently on ESPN Radio with Dan Le Batard. There had been some charges, perhaps most notably by ChaelSonnen, that former champ Ronda Rousey was simply a creation of media hype. Holm disagreed, saying that in fact Rousey created the hype to the benefit of the sport, and that Rousey had the skill to back it up.
“I think she was really able to run though people, though,” said Holm, as trascribed by David St. Martin for MMAFighting. “She was kind of able to run through the girls in the division, but yes, everybody is beatable. I knew that. I’m not as bold as Chael to go out and say that. There was media around her but she was able to go in and take care of these girls so I hate to say that she’s all hype. That’s not what it is.
“She’s been able to do well with all of this pressure on her and she’s been able to perform. I don’t take anything away from her performance but I’m one of those that believe every fighter is beatable and I didn’t want to listen to all the hype. That’s why I was able to get in there and do my business.”
“After I landed the first few straight lefts that landed solid I thought, ‘You know what? Yup, I can do this.’ I never felt like, ‘Oh, this is in the bag.’ Anything can happen in a fight. Until the knockdown happened with the kicks and I knew I could finish her did I really let that sink in like, ‘Oh, I got her.’
“Anything can happen in there, especially with someone like Ronda that can pull off an armbar in two seconds or land that solid punch and drop you. There’s a lot of things to watch out for even if you’re dominating. Anything can happen in a fight.”