When Holly Holm crashed her left shin against Ronda Rousey’s jaw and toppled a championship reign that had drawn worldwide attention, Holm quickly came to be seen as the heir to Rousey’s throne and the usurper of her fame. Here was the next golden girl, who like Rousey was accomplished in combat sports, articulate and telegenic, a ternary combination that seemed irresistible to fans and media alike.
In the immediate aftermath, everything seemed to be setting her up for a long reign: her game, her personality and her conscientious outlook.
"I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder is probably the thing I’ve been saying about that," Holm told FOX Sports shortly before her first title defense attempt.