THE unthinkable has come to fruition.
The UFC world got turned upside down on Sunday as Ronda Rousey, the Women’s Bantamweight unbeaten champion, suffered her first professional defeat at the hands of Holly Holm.
After surprisingly struggling through the first round, Rousey was knocked out with a swift standing back-kick to the side of the head which ultimately ended her reign as one of the most dominant female figure in world sports.
Rousey was paying just $1.05 at most online bookmakers and Holm was as long as $10 before the fight.
The crowd at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne were stunned by the historic outcome. Never has Rousey been tested and most bettors were predicted yet another first round finish. The fight was stopped in Round 2, but not the way most people predicted.
Holly Holm, the 2012 World Boxer of the Year, was expected to be a tough opponent for Rousey, but she clearly wasn’t expected to win, let alone dominate the entire fight from the opening. Holm dictated play with strong jabs and she frustrated Rousey, who was unable to take Holm down to the ground.
Holm then stunned Rousey with a strong punch to the face which resulted in Rousey losing her balance. Upon getting up, Holm landed a perfect kick to the head and it was game over.
Rousey was gracious in defeat and she recently made a post on Twitter.
“I just wanted to thank everyone for the love and support,” Rousey tweeted.
“I appreciate the concerns about my health, but I’m fine. As I mentioned before I am going to take a little bit of time, but I’ll be back.”
As you had probably guessed, the bookmakers made a killing off this fight with many big-time punters laying down massive money on the short favourite Rousey, but there were some feel-good betting stories to come out of this historic fight.
Holm’s camp wins six-figure payout
Just in case the glory of the win wasn’t enough, members of Holly Holm’s team scored a six-figure payday from the result.
Some bookmakers were offering as much as 10-1 for Holm and according to her manager Lenny Fresquez, the bookmakers were asking for it.
“I am sorry Vegas [bookmakers]. You shouldn’t have put the odds so high,” Fresquez said.
“It was a couple of our team members. We had a good pot together so it was nice. I wish I would have [placed] more money.”
Team Holm never doubted their fighter’s ability to win against Rousey, who had breezed past her most recent opponents in record time.
“None of the team ever even had a doubt,” Fresquez said.
“Not a person in the camp had a doubt Holly would win this fight. There was never any negativity from inside the camp. She has a great team.”
$20,000 nets big return for famous punter
The punter who won $2.5 million from the Kansas City Royals winning the 2015 World Series made a big $20,000 bet on Holly Holm to upset Ronda Rousey at UFC 193.
Las Vegas punter Dave Oancea was heavily criticised when he said – following his win in the World Series, that Holly Holm would score the upset win over Ronda Rousey, he even bet larger than he had promised.
Oancea promised radio listeners that he would place a $10,000 bet on Holm at odds of 11/1, but he upped his bet to a sizable $20,000, which may seem like chump change to someone who just won $2.5 million, but it’s a big bet regardless.
Oancea admits the bet was to play against Rousey, as opposed to backing for Holm.
“I’ll put $10,000 on that for fun,” Oancea told a radio station a week ago.
“I’ll put $10,000 on her every time against her and just keep doubling up, because eventually she’s going to lose – that’s my philosophy. It just takes one lucky punch.
“I’ll put $10,000 on her if they let me do it. I’ve got balls.”
Oancea used the “chase system” which is a popular system used among sport and horse racing bettors. Punters first need to guarantee that their athlete, team or horse will be paying at least $2 minimum in all futures markets to ensure the chase system works for a profit.
Chase bettors would continue to bet against Rousey, knowing she would likely meet her match eventually, and they would keep doubling their bet size in order to make a profit. In this instance, because Holm was such a large underdog, the bet did not need to get doubled.
Rousey favoured for rematch
Ronda Rousey has been installed the odds-on favourite in a possible rematch for the Women’s Bantamweight UFC title.
Bookmaker WilliamHill is sticking with the former champion and are expecting Rousey to win in the possible rematch next year.
“Just like Rousey, we got absolutely smashed yesterday. We had more than double the amount of people place bets on the Holm upset,” William Hill spokesperson Tim Ashworth said.
“Ronda Rousey is a proven champion and future great of the sport, so it’s more a matter of when, and not if, we see her serve up some revenge in a rematch against Holly Holm.”
Holm is a $2.45 outsider, which is a far cry from the $10 available at some bookmakers last weekend.
Also featured in the UFC betting markets is Conor McGregor ($1.55) vs. Jose Aldo ($2.40) for the UFC Featherweight Championship.
