Rousey focused on taking down another undefeated underdog

Upon the conclusion of a victory, whether it be in her undefeated mixed martial arts career or her ballyhooed boxing tenure, “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holly Holm runs to coach Mike Winklejohn for a boost and backflips her way into celebration.

Facing “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey on Saturday at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia at Etihad Stadium live on pay-per-view for the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s’ bantamweight title, there are not too many prognosticating any back flips in the near future for Holm.

Rousey (12-0, 6-0 in UFC) will make her seventh UFC title defense in front of what is likely to be a record-setting crowd that could number as many as a reported 70,000 when she faces Holm (9-0, 2-0), who is an overwhelming 20-1 underdog.

However, for Rousey, a true sports trailblazer who’s acting in blockbuster movies, has co-hosted ESPN’s SportsCenter and appeared on just about ever magazine cover under the sun, her focus has emerged as one of her greatest assets. And, no matter the odds or notoriety, she’s not looking past the former world boxing champion.

“It’s all in peril right now,” said Rousey, who’s trained for the duration of her MMA career with Edmond Tarverdyan at the Glendale Fighting Club. “Until I beat Holly, I can’t revel in anything.”

Seen by most as the UFC’s biggest star, Rousey’s fights have become events, as was evidenced by the reported 900,000-plus pay-per-view buys that her previous bout, a 34-second knockout destruction of Bethe Correia in Brazil, did on Aug. 1. The reaction to her victory blew up Twitter, with myriad celebrities weighing in.

So, just with any Rousey bout, there are subplots aplenty and, perhaps more than ever, there has been tumult. During her training camp, UFC heavyweight fighter Travis Browne, who also trains at the Glendale Fighting Club, announced on the MMA Hour podcast that he and Rousey were in a relationship. Rousey’s mother, AnnMaria DeMars then stunned many when a video interview with LatiNation was released in which DeMars called Tarverdyan a “terrible person” and a “bad coach.” During a conference call, Rousey’s line disconnected after she was asked about her relationship with Browne and she never returned to the call. And, later, a report by BloodyElbow.com revealed that Tarverdyan had filed for bankruptcy, claiming he had received no income in the past two years.

Through it all, Rousey has done her due diligence to keep her personal life personal while maintaining her championship focus.

“That kind of stuff, it just kind of makes me more thankful that I have fighting, because this is the place where I keep my focus and my sanity,” Rousey said. “Whatever kind of crazy things that are happening outside of fighting, it just makes me want to go inside the gym more, because this is really my escape from all that.

“The crazier everything is, the more I want to be in here and the more focused I do get, because it’s the time where I’m entirely in the present and none of those things exist anymore. That’s the only way I can get away from them, is when I’m in here. It’s kind of weird. The more chaotic everything is outside, the better I do in fights. The best performances I’ve ever had, I was in the most emotional turmoil beforehand.”

The only UFC women’s bantamweight champion in history, Rousey’s career has been a string of firsts and on Saturday (Sunday in Australia), she will headline the first-ever UFC card with both of the company’s women’s titles on the line. The co-main event will feature strawweight (115 pounds) champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10-0) defending her title against Valerie Letourneau (8-3). The pay-per-view card starts at 7 p.m.

It will be only the second UFC card in which the main event and co-main event were women’s bouts. The first time was Feb. 28 in Los Angeles, when Rousey defeated Cat Zingano via armbar in 14 seconds and Holm made her UFC debut with a split-decision win over Raquel Pennington.

“I think it’s awesome. It’s part of history. This hasn’t ever happened before, in boxing or in MMA, to have two women headlining the co-main and main events, so awesome,” Holm said. “I mean, we get to be part of history. There’s really no other way to explain it. It’s just an honor to be a part of it.”

Originally, Rousey was thought to have another matchup with archrival Miesha Tate in the future after Tate defeated Jessica Eye in what was purported to be a title eliminator. However, then Rousey announced live on “Good Morning America” that she’d face Holm.

The reaction among fans and some media was negative, perhaps surprisingly.

Tate has been stopped twice by Rousey already – once in Strikeforce and again in the UFC. As for Holm, before she was signed to the UFC, many hardcore fans clamored for a matchup between Holm and Rousey. But when it came about, most believed Rousey would steamroll her.

While that opinion generally hasn’t changed, Holm brings something different to the octagon against Rousey. Holm was a multiple-time boxing world champion who built a 33-2-3 record and also has a kickboxing background. Thus, while many opponents have rushed Rousey and played into her strengths of clinching and grappling, Holm’s ability to fight from the outside and employ her footwork and range is likely to be a huge asset.

“Challenges always are exciting,” Tarverdyan said. “Holly Holm was a champion in boxing. She has that champion spirit, she has that mindset of being a champion for a long time.

“We all know that that kicking distance, it’s hard to get into the clinch. Holly is not going to try to box with us. Because if Holly’s at boxing distance, then that clinch happens. Holly doesn’t want that to happen, so Holly’s going to be running. Holly’s going to be trying to keep it at a kicking distance.”

Holm’s work on the ground has never really been seen, but her takedown defense has looked good. In her two UFC bouts, she’s never been taken down. That said, both Pennington and Marion Reneau did not attempt as many takedown attempts as most predicted before their bouts, going a combined 0 for five against Holm.

Nonetheless, nobody has showcased as vaunted a takedown game as Rousey, whose Olmpic bronze medal judo background has delivered nine wins via signature armbar. However, there’s no denying that her striking has improved as she’s won via knockout against Sara McMann, Alexis Davis and Bethe Correia in three of her last four fights.

“Ronda can box,” Tarverdyan said. “Ronda has knockout punching power in both hands. It doesn’t matter what hand she touches you with, it’s dangerous.”

The danger has come in the form of an unprecedented run in which her last four bouts have gone a combined 130 seconds. Many think this bout will last longer, though, as Holm’s distance and game planning with coaches Winklejohn and Greg Jackson bode well.

“I think that one of Holly’s greatest strengths is the camp that she’s in and the coaching she receives,” Rousey said. “She’s gonna be a bigger challenge than ever. I’ve had all different types come at me in different ways. I think their approach is going to be the most strategic. But no amount of strategy and thought can beat me.”

Holm left her native New Mexico to arrive in Australia six days ahead of the bout, while Rousey’s camp ventured south roughly two weeks beforehand. Following her defenses against Zingano and Correia, Rousey will defend her title for the third time in nine months, all of them coming on different continents.

Alas, Rousey has defied distraction to continue her dominance as a fighter, while her star ascends to heights never before reached by a UFC fighter.

“Every fight’s different. More of the distractions aren’t coming from the fight itself, but, you know, from the whole world. But there’s been fights where it’s been like that before,” Rousey said. “I’ve had similar situations like this before where I feel like I’m getting pulled in a million directions at once and then trying to stay centered on one thing, which is the fight.”

So, as the distractions and subplots dissipate, the questions loom.

Can Holm shock the world?

“I know that it’s soon and I know that I’m the underdog, all this stuff, but there’s big upsets in sports for a reason, it’s that somebody else came in believing in themselves and they’re going to do it,” Holm said. “And that’s my plan. If I sat and listened to all the negative things that people are saying, then no, it would take its toll on me, but you know, I’m excited to have this opportunity and I want to make the most of it.”

Or can Rousey continue an unprecedented roll and devastate her fourth undefeated contender in her last five bouts?

“Ronda loves challenges and she’s excited and she’s focused,” Tarverdyan said. “She loves undefeated opponents that she can show her skills against.

“We always know that Ronda’s a born fighter and once she’s in the octagon, she’ll be ready.”