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Ronda Rousey’s out of the blue knockout loss to Holly Holm drew rabid reactions from pundits, fight fans and famous personalities all around world. Some praised Holly’s precise gameplan, others either ridiculed or supported Ronda, and some even denounced the very authenticity of the bout.
One of those included former ECW Champion and WWE star Taz, who alleged that the historic fight was indeed a fixed affair when he spoke to Bryan Altman on CBS Radio's The Taz Show: Bodyslams and Beyond.
By comparing what took place at UFC 193’s main event to that of a pro wrestling tactic, he stated that the belt was taken off Rousey’s waist for the sole purpose of giving her a break from MMA. In spite of the fact that the comments may seem one-dimensional and an outright attempt to gain exposure to many, Taz was quite confident that it was all a planned scheme.
This was what he had to say:
Why are some people not seeing this? This has been done in the wrestling industry for years. A guy or girl is going to take a break or go away, or has an injury that they have to tend to, whatever the reasons are, and they're a champion—you take the championship off of them.
You do not want your champion sitting home or making a movie, 'Roadhouse 2' or whatever Rousey's going to do, or just needs a personal break, which she's earned. This girl's earned it. But you don't want that person sitting home for five, six, seven months with that championship. It's bad for business! Take the belt off her!
Taz based his allegations on his viewpoint that the entire finishing sequence of the bout looked fishy and claimed that Ronda may have been in on it the entire time. The same doesn’t go for her conqueror Holly Holm, as according to Taz she must have been kept in the dark about the alleged work.
He even counted the referee to being oblivious to the ‘scheme’ and said,”"I'm telling you right now, that whole series, was the work. And I'm not sure who was in on it and who wasn't but I know this much: the ref probably wasn't in on it. Maybe he was I don't know. Rousey was in on it—and again, this is all my opinion. Holm might not have been in on it."
Now those are some tall claims, that make sense when it comes to the pro wrestling set up, but could it really happen in the world of MMA? The answer is a resounding no.
It may also be the case that the sheer sight of seeing Ronda being dominated by an elite boxer in Holm could have drawn Taz to such conclusions. The Human Suplex Machine seems to have found the reason behind Ronda’s first professional loss – something that no MMA expert or fan had put his money on. Ronda was billed to retire undefeated – the hopes of which have all gone down the drain.
Do you think the fight was a work to facilitate a Ronda Rousey hiatus or a masterful performance from Holm?
