The odds were 22 to 1 only a few days before the actual fight. Holy Holm’s win on Saturday over Ronda Rousey was a great upset of any fight. It may well be the most devastating event for the sports books in Las Vegas. It has been repeated so many times – and almost believed by everyone – that Ronda Rousey was the female version of the great fighter of yesteryears, Mike Tyson.
There were many similarities too. Like Tyson, she was also famous for achieving quick and decisive wins. Most of her opponents were intimidated even before the actual match began giving her a technical advantage. She could also, like Tyson, score one sided wins. In fact some of the matches were so short that the audience felt dissatisfied by the short length of the game.
Like Tyson, she also went to other countries and played matches with opponents who seemed to just crumble before them. It was a historic upset on Feb 11, 1990 when the underdog Buster Douglas knocked Tyson out to win the World heavy weight boxing title in Tokyo. Before that match, Tyson was believed to be invincible. The same happened to Rousey on Saturday.
Holly Holm managed in achieving what Buster Douglas had achieved years before her. Unfortunately, Buster Douglas left the limelight as quickly as he had gained it. That was his one and only big night. Evander Holyfield snatched the title from him on October 25, 1990. He could never win another important game. Tyson still remained an iconic figure until 2002.
Holm Rousey knockout will be remembered in the UFC history as one of its biggest upsets. It was also its most memorable match. Rousey was perhaps the greatest celebrity every created by UFC. She had become a symbolic hero for a lot of women. She had landed movie roles and endorsements like no other UFC star.
Before the actual fight began, there was no question whether Holm would win; the question was how long she will last. Holm turned the tables in such a way that everyone who had underestimated her looked like a fool. It was a one sided match. At some moments, the match resembled a bullfight.
Ironically, only days before the match, the odds on a Rousey win had reached 22 to 1. It was the most one-sided odd in the history of UFC. Even before the match began, the odds didn’t fall below 10 to 1. In modern UFC history, the two biggest upsets had odds 8 to 1 for the defending champion.
