After Ronda Rousey’s surprising knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 last Saturday, many questioned her strategy of trying to fight the 19-time boxing world champion in the standup department and not switching things up in between rounds. UFC president Dana White found some distinct words for those critics at UFC 193’s post-fight press conference.
“You know, it’s funny because all the people that were talking smack about the fight, everybody thinks they’re an expert and everybody thinks they know about fighting. Very few people really do,” White said. “To sit here now and question the gameplan is just as stupid as the people who thought this wasn’t a good fight.” (Transcription via MMA Fighting)
Related: Technique video: GSP’s coach breaks down how Holm systematically beat Rousey in the clinch
In fact, White believes that if Rousey’s strategy of chasing down Holm had worked and she scored another quick finish, people would have praised the gameplan as much as they are now criticizing it.
“If Ronda went out there and ran after [Holm] like a maniac and knocked her out? ‘Ronda’s the best ever. Ronda’s this, that.’ Ronda goes out and this happens tonight, ‘the gameplan was all wrong; this was all wrong’,” said White. “It’s easy to sit back and criticize when you’re watching the fight.”
Holm managed to knock Rousey out in round two of their UFC 193 headliner. White already hinted that an immediate rematch between the two is likely to be set up.
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