On Sunday, I witnessed Holly Holm defeat the notorious Ronda Rousey for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight championship. It was truly a historic moment, as Rousey has been on a meteoric rise, not only bringing attention to the world of women’s UFC fighting, but becoming the face of the sport as a whole. She went into this fight undefeated, with a record of 12-0-0 (W-L-D).

But, she suffered her first loss to 9-0-0 Holly Holm. The entire night’s focus was Rousey, and how quickly and soundly she had defeated all previous challengers. Only when the analysts had to do their obligatory breakdown of both sides of the fight, did they mention the numerous championships Holm won in boxing and MMA fighting. Only when they ran out of praise for Rousey did anyone mention the time Holm spent training in the mountains of New Mexico and the endless work she put into preparing for, what would turn out to be, the biggest fight of her career.

The match was quick, but not in the way Rousey’s usually are. Her past four matches clocked in at an average time of 130 seconds. When the halfway point was reached and Rousey hadn’t won, an unease washed over me. Holm was getting lots of hits in, both blows to the head and kicks to the legs and torso.

The spectacle continued, but not for much longer. Only 59 seconds into the second round, Holm hit the shot that would end the night: a solid kick to the back of Rousey’s head. A knockout blow was followed by two frantic punches to the face. It took a minute for the shock to subside so I could process what Bruce Buffer was announcing. Holm was the new, undisputed, undefeated champion.

At first, I was bitter and irritated. Rousey was the entire reason I spent $50 to watch three hours of clumsy, violent action. I paid hard-earned money to watch her beat another woman to the brink of unconsciousness, and I had been cheated by this hard-working, confident woman who won with authority and poise.

Nevermind, I told myself. I should be happy to have witnessed this moment. Nobody thought she could do it. She not only did exactly what the world and I gave her no chance of doing, but she did it flawlessly.

As I thought more about this fight, I realized I frequently hear of others facing the same one as finals week approaches. My history class feels impossible at times. The professor has years of tenure and is a notoriously tough grader. Success or failure in this course rides on three timed essay exams. Every day, I hear of other students giving up because they know it’s going to be a tough task.

But, I know better. I study every night. I do all the readings. I attend every lecture and take meticulous notes. I’ve taken on challenges like this before, getting perfect scores on essays all through high school and my first year in college. I’ve even taken this professor’s exam before, and come out on top.

I know I can do this. Everyone else can give up before they even start, but after seeing Holm conquer Rousey and walk away with the UFC Bantamweight title, I know I can take on this essay and end the semester with an A.

Nicholas Hunter is a guest writer for The Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].