AS the clock counts down to UFC 193 all eyes will be on UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey ahead of the first ever octagon fight in the city of Melbourne.
Etihad Stadium plays host to the first ever event of its kind in the state of Victoria, where cage fighting had been outlawed up until early 2015.
To celebrate, the UFC is hoping to break the all-time attendance record at a mixed martial arts event, with the hottest sportswoman on the planet right now the jewel in their crown.
Rousey will defend her bantamweight title against American Holly Holms.
Sportsbet has the bantamweight champion Rousey as the overwhelming $1.06 favourite to retain her title at UFC 193.
Arguably the world’s most popular athlete, Rousey will bring all the hype and hysteria that comes with the burgeoning sport, with an imposing 12-0 record amongst the greatest of all-time.
You would think the woman they call “Rowdy Ronda” would be used to that winning feeling at the conclusion of a fight, but Rousey has yet to grasp her post-fight
“I feel kind of awkward after I win. It’s the weirdest thing,” Rousey said.
“My most incomprehensible moments are everything they ask afterwards. I don’t even know what I’m saying.
“I remember I walked out of one fight and I was like ‘I didn’t thank anyone, I’m an a*****’ I didn’t know what was going on. I was just answering.
“Sometimes I just want to get out of there and eat some hot wings and be alone.
With a record attendance potentially on hand to see possibly the greatest female athlete of all-time on show, Rousey has a different approach leading into the fight at Etihad Stadium.
“This is definitely going to be one of those experiences that will have to be savoured and taken in because I don’t think I’m ever going to have a fight like this one.
“I don’t think I’m going to fight in front of a crowd like the Aussies again or be at an event of this magnitude again.”
One thing Rousey is not afraid of though is the public eye, with appearances in movies, promotions for the sport and even guest stints in the WWE.
While Rousey is accustomed to all the attention that comes with being the world’s most recognisable athlete, she does not think her opponent will be as contented atop the UFC tree.
“I don’t think she would be comfortable with it,” Rousey said,
“It would take away from her quality of life. I don’t think it is for some people.
“This kind of an environment is not what Holly would like. I hope that she takes whatever she gets for losing and has a life that she would like a lot more than this.
“With Holly I will genuinely be happy for her and hope that she accepts her loss in a healthy way and enjoys all the benefits that she got from this fight.”
Holly Holm – who also enjoys an undefeated record in the UFC – did not agree with Rousey’s summation and believes it was nothing more than a deflection tactic.
“I would not be happier if I lost,” said.
“That’s kind of the new thing she’s been saying.
“Maybe it’s coming from a place where she has a lot of pressure and media attention on her. She might be thinking it is a lot to handle, and maybe she is thinking no one else can do what (she does). Trust me, with a win, I will be able to handle it.”
Holm is no stranger to the spotlight.
A world-class boxer, Holm was a two-time RING magazine female boxer of the year with an incredible record of 32-2-3 before making the switch to MMA in 2011.
Since making the jump Holm gone on to boast an impressive 9-0 record in the sport, with a 2-0 run since joining the UFC.
Could Holly Holms be the first woman ever to push Ronda Rousey past the opening round in the UFC?
Sportsbet has $3.50 quote on the fight to go past the first round.
Despite always displaying a nervous excitement prior to a fight, Holm insists this is not her being overawed by the occasion.
“I am always nervous, it doesn’t matter what fight it is,” Holm said.
“Every fighter has their strengths, anything can happen in there.
“If I didn’t have nerves it would be like I didn’t care if I win or lose. It is natural. I know I have big things ahead of me.”
Unlike Rousey’s last fight, in which Brazilian Bethe Correia used the ill-advised tactic of antagonising the champion prior to the fight, both fighters seem to have a genuine respect for one another.
Despite this, the bantamweight champion could not resist slight jab at Holm’s chosen quiet life.
“Holly seems like a very nice person and a sweet girl,” Rousey said.
“She is the kind of person like after I beat her and she makes a lot of money I am like, ‘Good for her, buy yourself an Albuquerque house with that.’”
UFC 193 takes place at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium on Sunday the 15th of November.
