Ronda Rousey has congratulated Holly Holm for the first time since the pair fought in Melbourne last year. Holm caused a huge upset when she knocked out Rousey, handing her opponent the first defeat of her career.
Rousey was appearing as a host on Saturday Night Live, and the nod to Holm came during her opening monologue. “This is the first time I’m talking to my fans since I lost to Holly Holm in November, which, by the way, was a fight Holly deserved to win,” Rousey said. “And I just wanted to take a minute to sincerely congratulate her.”
@HollyHolm @danawhite @ufc pic.twitter.com/DxNpwHltWn
— Stallion (@gfmete) January 24, 2016
When the crowd cheered the gesture, Rousey jokingly shouted: “That’s enough”. She also referenced the blizzard that had enveloped New York, where Saturday Night Live is filmed.
“They’ve closed Broadway, they closed movie theaters, they even closed all bars so tonight we’re literally the only show in town,” she said. “So excited to be here because this will be the first time I’ll be live on television without getting punched in the face.”
More than 30 athletes including Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Usain Bolt have hosted the show in the past, although only three of that number – Chris Evert, Nancy Kerrigan and Kerri Strug – were female before Rousey was chosen for the role.
