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SPORTS A19
Saturday 14 November 2015
Rousey’s fear of failure key to beating Holm in Melbourne
NEIL FRANKLAND winning her last three bouts ing.
in a combined 64 seconds, “Our workouts yesterday
AP Sports Writer said she’d “rather die and was a real touching expe-
go bankrupt than ever rience,” Rousey said. “It
MELBOURNE, Australia walk out of there not the was bigger than any open
winner.” workout I’ve ever had be-
(AP) — Ronda Rousey says “For every other girl in the fore and great to see how
division, it’s easier for them the people here have em-
it’s her fear of failure that to lose and go home with a braced us, even though
paycheck. ... I’m going to none of the people on the
guarantees she’ll win Sun- walk out of there the win- main event fights are Aus-
ner every single time. I’ve tralian.
day when she defends her lost enough in my life.” “I’m so glad we picked
The UFC 193 main card also here to try and beat the
UFC bantamweight title features a straw-weight UFC attendance record.”
title bout between Po- To cater to the UFC’s regu-
against Holly Holm in front land’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk lar Saturday night television
and Canadian Valerie Le- slot, the card will begin Sun-
of a projected-record Mel- tourneau, as well as men’s day morning in Melbourne,
heavyweights Mark Hunt with the main card sched-
bourne crowd. and Antonio Silva, and uled to begin at 2 p.m. lo-
middleweights Uriah Hall cal time (10 p.m. EST).
Just eight months after and Robert Whittaker. Rousey says more than
Melbourne’s Etihad Stadi- ready to cope with the
Australia’s Victoria state um has been transformed taking to the ring mid-af-
from a 56,000-seat Austra- ternoon rather than late at
lifted its ban on cage fight- lian rules football venue night, with her fight-day al-
to an auditorium holding ready mapped out.
ing, the UFC has brought its close to 75,000 seats for “I want to wake up, eat
the event and a full house something, go back to
showcase UFC 193 event would easily eclipse the sleep, and then wake up,
55,724 fans who attended do my hair, change, come
Down Under, with the Rous- UFC 129 at Toronto’s Rog- over here, take another
ers Centre in 2011. nap, wake up, warm up,
ey-Holm fight as its main Holm says her focus will be go beat up Holly, and go
on Rousey rather than the eat some wings and go to
event. crowd sleep,” she said.
“I don’t even think I’ll look For a woman who admits
Undefeated through 12 around. I think I’m just go- she never needs to work
ing to focus on the cage again and is being courted
UFC bouts, including seven because that’s where the by Hollywood executives,
work needs to be done,” Rousey has a decidedly
successful title defenses, she said. “I know they’re modest plan to reward
there to watch but it’s herself if she successfully
the former judo Olympian not just the people in the defends her UFC bantam-
stands, there will be people weight title against Holly
says her fear of failure is all over the world watching Holm on Sunday.
it.” “I want to get some verti-
bigger than anyone’s. If the enthusiastic turnout cal gardens in my house,”
to an open workout for Rousey said Friday when
“I’ve endured the worse the fighters in Melbourne’s asked what she’d treat her-
downtown Wednesday is self to with her prize money.
losses possible. I lost the any indication, a record “I don’t think they’re that
crowd could be in the off- expensive though. q
finals at the (judo) world
championships when I
wanted to be world champ
like my mother (1984 cham-
pion AnnMaria De Mars),” Ronda Rousey of the U.S. talks about her upcoming UFC ban-
tamweight title match against Holly Holm in Melbourne, Aus-
Rousey said. “My dream tralia, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. Just eight months after Australia’s
Victoria state lifted its ban on cage fighting, the UFC has brought
since I was a little kid was its showcase UFC 193 event Down Under, with the Rousey-Holm
fight as its main event.
to win at the Olympics and
(AP Photo Neil Frankland)
I failed twice.
“Nobody knows what fail-
ure feels like more than I
do and that’s why I’m the And that’s why I am always Rousey, who has become
person who walks in there going to win, because I one of the most prominent
willing to die in order to win. know how it feels.” U.S. female athletes after
