Do you look at it as a fluke loss? Or did Ronda Rousey fall the first time she fought world calibre competition? Holly Holm was a multiple time boxing champion, and Legacy FC bantamweight champion, but her credentials came under scrutiny due to the level of competition she had fought. Still, winning over thirty boxing matches in impressive, as is being undefeated in your MMA career and holding a title, even if it's the title of a smaller promotion. The fact is, she's world class. Now, Rousey has beaten many, many legit fighters - Sara McMann, Cat Zingano, and Miesha Tate twice to name just a few. However, none had the striking pedigree of Holm (though McMann does have a silver medal at the Olympics in wrestling). None other than Tate were taken as a serious threat to Rousey. So what does this do to her legacy? It all depends, most likely, on your feelings towards her. Nothing can take away her accomplishments, but there's a question now of if this was a one off - or are more skilled women now pursuing MMA after seeing what Rousey has done. Either way, she'll always be a trailblazer, but if she wants to cement her status as the best female fighter ever, she'll need to get her revenge on Holm.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
