Sports fans in Albuquerque have been exceptionally happy this Sunday. And they should be — they were the beneficiaries of two huge upsets on Saturday night.
The Albuquerque Journal began its story on the University of New Mexico Lobo football game at Boise State saying "Maybe it was only the second-biggest upset Saturday involving an Albuquerque sports entity, but the New Mexico Lobos will take it." The Broncos were favored by 30½ points. But they didn't cover the spread. Indeed, they didn't score 30 points! Instead, they lost to the Lobos by a score of 31-24.
No one expected much of the Lobos at the start of the season. Or later, either. Last week they were 20-point underdogs when they beat Utah State 14-13. That performance didn't get them much respect this week. Will what they did last night make a difference?
Whether it does or not, the UNM Lobos are now bowl-eligible. And that's shocking everyone!
But as big a shock as that was, it was nothing to the shock arriving home from the other side of the world. That was described as a world-shattering upset, the world turned upside-down Down Under, the biggest upset in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) history. A shocked crowd of more than 60,000 and a huge pay-per-view crowd saw it happen live. The Albuquerque Journal headlined their story this way:
Much of the sports world had expected a short fight. After all, (now former) UFC Champion Ronda Rousey had dispatched her last three opponents in a combined total of one minute and four seconds, and had only been pushed into a second round once before in her UFC career.
No one gave the former world boxing champion from Albuquerque much of a chance. The odds against Holly Holm were steep — a $100 winning bet on her would return $1,200! Even Holm's partisans were saying just going the distance with Rousey would be a victory for Holly.
Holly didn't go the distance, but she did finish the fight. She put Ronda on the canvas, on her back, unconscious at just under a minute into the second round. Her knockout left kick produced a stunning upset victory. It was a sight to be seen! The Preacher's Daughter now returns to Albuquerque as the new UFC World Champion.
And Albuquerque basks in the glow of these two HUGE upsets.
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