10 Consequences Of Ronda Rousey Losing Her UFC Championship

4. The UFC Is At Risk Of Losing Its Biggest Star

The UFC marketed Ronda Rousey as invincible. They made the mistake of talking about future fights before her current ones had even happened. Case in point: claiming Cyborg Justino would be "Rousey's next opponent" before she had even fought Holly Holm. Fighters looking past opponents is a common problem. For the world's biggest promotion to do it - well that's almost unthinkable. Yet they did just that, and having put all their eggs in one basket over the last few years, they're not at risk of losing their biggest star (there were already questions about Rousey retiring, and it may happen even sooner now) with no one to replace her. See, no one really knows Holly Holm. The UFC didn't develop her very well; they put her in a couple of unheralded fights, though due to injury one became a co-main event at UFC 185, then rushed her into the Rousey match. That she capitalized on it shocked a lot of pundits who thought it was too soon, but the real fallout is that if Holm's next fight is against anyone but Rousey, the general public may not care, because the UFC didn't build her up as a Rousey killer, just as another foe. And if she beats Rousey again, well, they're looking at about half the interest Rousey gets.