"I was the better fighter that night" - Holly Holm reacts to Ronda Rousey's claims of being concussed before their UFC 193 clash
Holly Holm has fired back at Ronda Rousey's recent comments suggesting she was concussed before their historic clash at UFC 193.
The November 2015 fight saw Holm defeat the seemingly invincible Rousey with a stunning second-round knockout, handing the decorated judoka her first professional MMA loss. Rousey would only fight once more, losing to Amanda Nunes in 2016 before exiting the sport.
Rousey's comment came during a recent podcast appearance when she addressed various topics, including criticism surrounding her past losses. In the conversation, she also claimed to have entered the UFC 193 fight with a concussion.
Rousey said:
"People making all these judgements about me in a fight, when I was literally, my first loss, I was not like - my mouthguard was bad. I literally came into that fight concussed from slipping down some stairs already after all these years of concussions. And then, I had an absolutely terrible weight cut, which means you have less fluid in your brain to protect it."
However, Holm' isn't buying Rousey's latest explanation. During a press conference for UFC 300, Holm directly addressed the comments, stating:
"I was the better fighter that night... I think that it's probably just hard for her to really want to admit that, I was just the better fighter."
Check out Holly Holm's comment below:
Holly Holm embraces the challenge Kayla Harrison presents
Holly Holm is preparing to face Kayla Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, at UFC 300. Despite being the underdog, Holm is excited about the fresh challenge and the potential title implications a win could bring.
While acknowledging Harrison's impressive credentials, Holm emphasizes her focus and motivation.
She said:
"This fight is more exciting than a lot of the recent fights, it's something new. It's a huge experience coming my way."[H/t: abqjournal]
Holm recognizes the significance of the fight beyond just the challenge. A victory over Harrison could position her for another shot at the UFC bantamweight title, currently held by Raquel Pennington.
"This is definitely a fight that can set that in the right direction for me, I don't want to fight unless there's always a vision and a goal of being a champion. If that's not an option, I don't want to be fighting. I only want to fight when I know that's still obtainable. Pennington being champion now, she's been around for quite a long time, too, and yes, I have two wins over here. But she's always been one of those tough fighters."[H/t: MMAFighting]