Sherdog.com’s 2015 Story of the Year

3. Ronda Rousey Gets Destroyed

The Ronda Rousey mystique, built through confidence, charisma and a string of lopsided victories, came crashing back to earth courtesy of a Holly Holm head kick at UFC 193.

While unblemished mixed martial arts records do not tend to last, Rousey always seemed to be a cut above her competition, almost like a modern-day Royce Gracie mowing down overmatched opposition in the promotion’s formative years. Of her 12 victories, just one opponent -- Miesha Tate at UFC 168 -- made it past a round. Her last three victims -- Bethe Correia, Cat Zingano and Alexis Davis -- barely lasted more than a minute combined with “Rowdy.”

UFC President Dana White likened the bantamweight queen to Mike Tyson, while simply being in her presence nearly brought longtime analyst Joe Rogan to tears. When it came to Rousey, hyperbole was plentiful.

Although she was a multiple-time world champion boxer with an unbeaten MMA record, Holly Holm was not supposed to threaten Rousey’s legend. The Jackson-Wink MMA product was underwhelming in her first two UFC appearances, and it was widely believed she could have used more seasoning before facing a historically dominant champion. Not surprisingly, Holm was a significant underdog heading into her clash with Rousey in Melbourne, Australia.

In previous bouts, Rousey had already proven she could handle a full plate and not be adversely affected on fight night, but this time, there were more than just endorsements, movie deals and appearances. As UFC 193 drew near, personal distractions mounted.

Her relationship with Travis Browne, who chose to publicly announce that they were an item, came under scrutiny, in large part because of past domestic violence allegations levied against the UFC heavyweight. During a UFC 193 conference call, when Rousey was asked in reasonable fashion if she was OK with Browne revealing their relationship status, her line mysteriously disconnected. Rousey never did return to the call, which the UFC blamed on technical issues. Meanwhile, Rousey’s mother, AnnMaria De Mars, did an interview calling longtime trainer Edmond Tarverdyan a “terrible coach.” De Mars, normally always visible at all of Rousey’s fights, did not attend UFC 193. The Rousey fervor reached a point where the fighter’s flippant remark about lube in Maxim became a serious topic for debate.

By weigh-ins, it appeared that Rousey might be off her game. After a brief scuffle with Holm on the stage, Rousey sounded downright irrational when she blasted her opponent’s “fake sweet act.” Whether Rousey was taking it upon herself to sell tickets or had actually become unhinged is a mystery that will remain unsolved.

What is not in question is how dominant Holm was throughout the fight. Rousey wore a look of bewilderment as Holm repeatedly landed counter left hands and rebuffed any attempts to drag the fight to the mat. In round two, Holm shocked the world by dropping her foe with a head kick and finishing it seconds later with follow-up hammerfists.

Since the defeat, Rousey has for the most part stayed out of the spotlight, save for a lengthy ESPN interview and an appearance at the Marine Corps Ball. Despite the devastating nature of the defeat, it appears that a rematch is in store for the fallen former champion.

“I need to come back. I need to beat this chick,” Rousey told ESPN. “Who knows if I’m going to pop my teeth out or break my jaw or rip my lip open again? I have to [expletive] do it. It doesn’t matter. I have to do it.”

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