Emotions were high at UFC 193. There was no touch of gloves from Ronda Rousey during her staredown and things almost kicked off at the weigh-ins. "Rowdy" called Holly Holm a "fake humility bitch" after their intense faceoff and yet, despite all of the animosity, "The Preacher's Daughter" remained grounded and humble after her shocking upset win.
Immediately after KO'ing Rousey with a head-kick in the main event, Holm looked to comfort the former female pound for pound #1 with a hug and some words of encouragement.
Up until now, fans have had to speculate on what Holm said to her opponent after seizing the bantamweight title, but Holm revealed all in an interview with Larry King on Thursday.
"I just said, 'You know I really admire you for being such a great, dominant champion,'" Holm said. "'None of us would be here without you, so I appreciate you.'"
Rousey, 28, is known for engaging in pre-fight (and post-fight) trash talk with her opponents, but Holm feels no ill will towards her. In fact, she's thankful for Rousey's efforts to put WMMA on the map.
"I think she's done great for the sport, because she's so passionate about what she does and carries this confidence about her," Holm said. "Everybody has their own ways of dealing with their emotions in the sport."
The Olympic bronze medalist exploded onto the scene when she made her UFC debut in 2013. Since then, Rousey had gone on to defend her championship 6 times before being usurped by Holly Holm last week. Ronda had established herself as a global female icon, starring in Hollywood movies and making history as the first female athlete to star on the cover of a global EA Sports title - EA Sports UFC 2.
The former champion has shied away from the media since her loss but assured fans on Instagram that she'll be back in the near-future.
(Transcripts via MMAFighting.com)
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