The last several months have been dominated by two sporting events – the FIFA World Cup and the 2020 Summer Olympics – but it’s not over yet. Though the tournaments may be over, the athletes and fans still have plenty to look forward to. The first is the next edition of the Tour de France, a three-week bike ride that starts early June and which will be broadcast live on TV. The second is the second annual World Polo Championship, which takes place in July in Argentina. It’s the only international competition of its kind and is open to players of all ages.
Rousey vs Holm Odds
Though neither sports person is currently participating in sports, both have exciting stories to tell. Let’s take a look at the odds for the two biggest fights of the year, starting with arguably the biggest female fighter of all time, ROUSEY vs HOLM.
Rousey Vs Holm Odds
Though it may not seem that way, UFC 239 was actually a bit of a disappointment. The main event, a rematch between Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey, was a draw, resulting in a majority draw decision that favored Holm. But before we get into what happened and why it was such a big deal, let’s take a quick look at the betting odds for Rousey vs Holm.
As mentioned, UFC 239 was a bit of a disappointment. And though the fight itself was pretty even, the odds definitely favored Holm. According to OddsShark, which tracks betting trends, the line opened with Holm as the 6.5-1 underdog and had not moved much by the time the fight started. In contrast, the line on Rousey as the 4-1 underdog had moved up to 6.0-1, which is still a fairly generous amount of money to earn if you lose. Plus, you’re generally not going to get paid if you win, which is why people who usually bet on these fights have such a high volume of losing tickets. The only fight in the entire UFC that had more betting action was Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather, which saw the Irishman as a serious 7.0-1 underdog.
Why It Was Such A Big Deal
Despite all this, UFC 239 was still a historic event. In the main event, Ronda Rousey made her return to the Octagon after a year-long hiatus and faced Holly Holm, who was making her UFC debut. While the fight itself was competitive as expected, the circumstances surrounding the fight were more interesting. In particular, the fact that it was a rematch of the championship bout from a year ago was significant. More importantly, this was the first time the UFC had held a pay-per-view (PPV) event since 2018 and was also the first to be free of major leaks. Finally, it was the first time in many years that the UFC had held an event outside the USA, which is one of the largest markets for fight fans.
New Heights For The UFC
It’s pretty clear that the UFC took a gamble on Holly Holm, who they believed would be able to pull off the upset and beat Ronda Rousey for the championship. And while it may have backfired, they definitely did not regret trying out the 27-year-old. Though she didn’t end up beating Rousey that night, it was clear that Holm had improved a ton since the last time they had fought. Most importantly, she had found a way to use her jab effectively and keep the distance between them. Additionally, her Octagon debut was more competitive than anyone could have imagined, which is something that Rousey’s team had heavily criticized leading up to the fight. And though the fight was a bit closer than some would have liked – with both ladies taking a bit of a beating in the process – it was still a great display of skill and heart. As a result of all this, the UFC could now look forward to a new era, one that would see them hold more pay-per-view events and make more money in general.
Though neither Holly nor Ronda will be featured in any upcoming events due to the pandemic – with the exception of the 2020 Summer Olympics – the next two years will still host plenty of highlights for both women. In 2021, we’ll see them fight for the first time in two years and though Holm will be the underdog, it will be a fascinating fight to watch. And in 2022, we’ll get our first look at Rousey’s progression as a coach when she starts working with Brazilian superstar Bethe Correia. After years of dominating the sports world, it appears that the road to the top for these two is going to be a bumpy one.