Holly Holm Parade Date Set Following Victory over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193
UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm is to be honoured in her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday, with a parade set to be staged to celebrate her shock win over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in November.
According to the Associated Press (via the New York Times), the event will take place between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. MT on Dec. 6. As claimed in the piece, after her momentous victory, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry previously outlined his plans to honour Holm, with councillors declaring November "Holly Holm Month.”
Berry provided details of the event on his official Twitter account:
It’s a celebration that Holm, a former world champion boxer, has undoubtedly earned, as she shocked the sporting world at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, last month.
Rousey, who was undefeated going into the fight, was a huge favourite for victory and the main draw for a massive crowd. But Holm formulated a tremendous game plan that she executed perfectly, knocking the former champion out with a brutal left hand and a follow-up kick to the head.
Here’s a reminder of the spectacular finish that earned Holm the championship, per UFC on FOX:
Holm has become a household name herself since the victory. The manner in which she approached the bout and then knocked Rousey out was widely praised, and it’ll be intriguing to see where her career goes next after such a stunning achievement.
There has been some talk of a rematch potentially being held, with Holm recently revealing she feels as though she could beat Rousey 10 out of 10 times, per the New York Times. Indeed, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden feels that if the pair were to participate in an immediate rematch, the result would be the same:
"An immediate rematch with Holly Holm is lunacy. Rousey should fight another mobile striker and work on some techniques to combat that style
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) November 18, 2015"
For now, Holm should just soak up all of the adulation coming her way. There were some who considered Rousey unbeatable inside the Octagon, and Holm deserves time to reflect on her achievement. But she’s a fierce competitor who will be keen to prove this win wasn’t a one-off occurrence.
The upcoming parade will most likely be the highlight of Holm’s victory tour. To return to her hometown as a champion is something she will have long dreamed of, and those in the area will surely turn out in their masses to hail one of their own who created a segment of immortal sporting history.
