1. Holly Holm Levels Ronda Rousey
The hysteria surrounding Rousey was so relentless that fans grew to hate the Olympic bronze medalist. Her rock-star attitude turned off even more people as she continued to disrespect opponents, but she nevertheless became one of the most-talked-about athletes on the planet. In terms of crossover appeal, she exceeded every other MMA fighter, including Conor McGregor.
Holm was an unbeaten mixed martial artist and multi-division world champion in boxing, but she remained a virtual unknown to those operating outside combat sports. After two lackluster UFC wins, she was granted a title shot against Rousey in the UFC 193 main event on Nov. 15, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Holm, most everyone believed, was going to get the same treatment Bethe Correia, Cat Zingano, Sara McMann and Alexis Davis had received.
However, the moment did not faze Holm in the least, and she went about exposing the weaknesses in Rousey’s game. She hammered the champion with jabs and straight lefts, deftly walking Rousey into her punches while avoiding tie-ups. Slowly, Holm stripped away the aura of invincibility that had cloaked the “Rowdy” judoka for the entirety of her career. Rousey found herself in serious trouble in the second round, and a crushing head kick from “The Preacher’s Daughter” leveled her and left her defenseless to the follow-up punches that closed out her title reign.