An all-time UFC record crowd of 56,214 last night watched Holly Holm defeat Ronda Rousey in UFC 193 to take the Women's Bantamweight title in Melbourne, a fight which will "have long-standing repercussions within the sport." The "legend of Rousey as an unstoppable force, impossible to either stop or silence, was indeed broken" by Holm. Less than a minute into the second round, Rousey's "position as the queen of the fight game had been stolen" (USATODAY.com, 11/15). The upset was "described as the greatest in UFC history," with Vegas oddsmakers offering 10-1 "and above for a Holm victory." Holm was "appearing in the UFC for only the third time" (USATODAY.com, 11/15).
Holm "delivered the knockout shot in Melbourne," but it "resonated across the globe" as she took the title (NEWSDAY, 11/15). Holm "shocked the world" (ORLANDOSENTINEL.com, 11/14). Meanwhile, the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne "proved to be a fantastic setting" for the event, which broke the previous attendance record of 55,724 for UFC 129 in '11 at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Yesterday's event produced the "largest attendance for a fight in Australian history" and tallied US$6.77M at the gate (SI.com, 11/15).
