5) Holly Holm vs. Nichole Knudson
Holly Holm shocked the entire world when she knocked out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 to become the women’s bantamweight champion.
However, Holm has a long history of knockouts in both MMA and boxing. We’ve put together this list of her top five knockouts in MMA.
Prior to making her UFC debut, Holm was signed with the Legacy Fighting Championship. In her second fight for the organization, Holm fought Nicole Knudson. The fight was competitive until Holm landed a nasty side kick to her opponent that her scream in pain. Holm immediately pounced with a series of knees and punches that forced the referee to call a halt to the fight at 1:18 of the second round.
4) Holly Holm vs. Jan Finney
Holly Holm was an experienced boxer before she transition to the world of mixed martial arts in 2011. Her debut fight she won by TKO but from an injury, but it was her second fight that she proved she would be a force in women’s MMA.
At Clash in the Cage in September of 2011, Holm squared off with fifteen fight veteran Jan Finney. The fight was back and forth heading into the third round, but again Holm took over, landing a big left kick to her opponent’s liver that sent her sprawling to the mat. Holm moved in for a couple follow up punches, but the referee jumped in calling and end to the fight at 2:49 of the third round.
3) Holly Holm vs. Juliana Werner
After defeating her first two opponents in Legacy FC, Holly Holm was granted a title fight against 401 Juliana Werner for the vacant featherweight title. This was the first time Holm had been in the championship rounds of a fight and she showed the poise and skills that would prove to everyone she was ready the UFC.
The fight was a very competitive back and forth battle between the two well-matched fighters. Heading into the fifth round it could have been anyone’s fight.
However, Holm showed off her superior striking landing a big left high kick that dropped her opponent. A few more punches and the referee stopped the bout at 1:50 of the fifth round. It was the same high kick that would end her fight with Al-Lanna Jones and Ronda Rousey.
2) Holly Holm vs. Al-Lanna Jones
Holm became champion by pulling off a near flawless peformance against then-champion Rousey.
Battered on the feet, Rousey’s striking skills proved to be no match for Holm’s footwork and life-long boxing skills and footwork acumen. The finishing blow came in the second round in the form of an amazing left high kick that came crashing on Rousey’s jaw, sending her face-first unconscious on the canvas.
That kick, referred among MMA enthusiasts as ‘the kick heard around the world’, sure was crazy.
Want to know what is even crazier though?
Holly Holm actually delivered the same exact kick and finish on a previous opponent, as you can see in the video below:
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World-class footwork? Check! Powerful, accurate left high kick to the jaw? Check! Knee on belly and hammerfists to seal the deal? Check!
Poor Allanna Jones felt for the same trap as Rousey, resulting in a brutal KO.
1) Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey
It was considered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey to become the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion at UFC 193.
Rousey was as high as a 11-1 favorite heading into the bout with Holm, but it was Holm that dominated the fight start to finish like she was a huge favorite. Holm used superior foot work and striking with solid submission defense to baffle Rousey and do damage. Holm was ahead on the score cards after the first round, but then ended the fight in the second round with a thunderous left high kick that left Rousey unconscious.
