Muhammad Ali loved to talk about how pretty he was as a young man, how no fighter could lay a glove on him, cut him, or beat him.
And he was right for quite a while before the big hits landed.
Young Ali made skilled fighters look like amateurs and came out looking refreshed from the experience.
“My face is so pretty, you don’t see a scar/ which proves I’m the king of the ring by far.” – Muhammad Ali
One of his early opponents, 2-time heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson, came out of his fights the opposite of Ali, all beat up. He hid the damage behind costumes and hats and shades.
Ronda Rousey, the freshest face in UFC could relate after her Holly Holm fight, saying she was “ashamed of her face” according to TMZ sports. Don’t all fighters feels that after a loss? They should if they plan on fighting again.
She just needs to remember she’s not the first high profile fighter ashamed of their face after getting it drilled in a match.
Floyd Patterson had his face beat on after calling Muhammad Ali Cassius. The press called it disrespectful of the new champ’s conversion to the Nation of Islam. They said Ali tortured him instead of knocking him out. Maybe true, maybe not.
Sports On Earth has a different take in an author interview.
“I found a fascinating interview with Ali that Howard Cosell conducted shortly after the fight, in which Ali explained what was going on. He knew that Floyd was hurt, and to his way of thinking, it would bring him no pride to injure a man who was already hurt. So he essentially backed off, waiting for the fight to be stopped. But the ref let it go on. Patterson was perplexed. Floyd said later that he’d never been hit with such soft punches.”
Floyd Patterson is a great example for MMA fighters because he took his face seriously, and got it worked. Disguises seem like a good idea.
As hard as it was to see Rousey forced into the walk of shame through LAX, it’s part of the game. No one wants to see a girl’s face bruised and battered, but if she’s a fighter it happens. And you’ll probably be in public.
Like Rowdy Ronda, Ali took his face into the ring against Joe Frazier and caught punches that would drop a tree. And him. In his first fight after serving his draft suspension he came with too much to prove.
He took his mug into the ring against Ken Norton and got hit so hard his jaw broke and he didn’t stop the match. In fight after fight, long after he should have retired, Ali took the sort of beating no one wanted to see.
The worst of the bunch was his fight with Larry Holmes. Holmes pounded Ali back into the retirement where he should have stayed.
Ronda Rousey isn’t about to retire. She assured the fans she’ll be back. She’s saying the right things. Let’s hope she’s back with a few more tools in her MMA game. We’re here to help.
How did she lose to Holly Holm? It wasn’t movies, or writing books, or spending time with too many celebrities.
UFC 193 was the biggest fight in MMA history and she was the biggest star. She’s got the whole package of media darling, flashy smile, and allure. When you see her outside of the octagon she shows a beautiful side.
On match day she puts on that face, the one you need to fight like her. And it’s effective.
No one expected her to lose, ever. She would pound her way through all the competition and leave the UFC a better place. She probably still will.
So what happened with the Holm fight? From a wrestling point of view, not martial arts or boxing, she got caught. More than once.
One of the moves I’ve seen her do, which is what I hope to see others do, is a hip throw and head and arms. Rousey does them better than anyone, just not against Holm.
The key to a successful hip throw is holding your opponent, getting them on your hip, and whipping them downward. For example, overhook your right arm on the opponent’s left arm near their shoulder while your left hand grips their neck.
You’ll find your right hand near their ribs or sternum. If you make a fist your knuckles may grind against the bones.
Hold on and push them back, and when they swing forward to catch their balance pull their left arm with your right hand at the same time you swing your left upper arm and chopping the side their neck and turn your left hip. It’s coordinated.
If you load them up on your hip and get a quick turn they go flying. Do it slow and you go flying.
During the Holm fight, Ronda attempted to throw several times. Each time Holly had the perfect defense, which is hopping over the hip and lifting. Getting slammed from a couple of feet in the air takes something out of anyone, even a World Champion like Rousey, an Olympic judo medalist.
Holly Holm worked the ring like Ali, letting Rousey chase while drilling punches. Then a big left leg neck kick followed by pouncing for more punches to end the fight.
Now we know Ronda Rousey can be beat, the same way we learned Ali could be beat. It’s not supposed to be pretty. The only question left is how Rousey comes back.
Will she learn how to block a left leg high kick, how to block a forearm to the face, and how to fake a throw and use the counter as an offensive weapon?
This writer’s advice for Ronda Rousey? Bring Greco-Roman wrestlers into your next training camp. Do that and the win is in the book.
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