Barely a week after Holly Holm pulled off perhaps one of the biggest upsets in UFC history that will stick for a long time, the UFC is busy planning ahead for an expected between the new UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion and the dethroned title-holder Ronda Rousey.
An exclusive report from HollywoodLife.com reveals that UFC president Dana White has provided more details on the planned rematch. While the murmurs in the past days saw UFC 200 as the likely event where the rematch would take place, such has now been confirmed together with the place and time.
The Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey rematch will take place on July 9, 2016 in Las Vegas and will undoubtedly be one of the biggest offerings the UFC will have lined up for the coming year.
Holm surprised everyone with the dominant display, keeping her focus despite attempts by Rousey to get into the head of the former boxer and now mixed martial arts fighter.
During the weigh-in, Rousey charged at a quiet Holm and the two ended up striking a familiar fighting stance. Holm inadvertently hit Rousey in the process and the former UFC Women’s champ used that to spur up some color prior to the big match.
Rousey lived up to the villainous persona leading to the fight, only to get humbled with a devastating kick that knocked her out cold.
Moreover, Rousey has since stayed away from the limelight, understandably depressed from the setback which was her first loss in the UFC.
Despite the win, Holm has remained humble and has gone as far as to stand up for her rival who has been getting hit left and right with brash talk after her crash back to reality.
The expected rematch has also moved back prior plans for Rousey, including a hinted match with Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino. The Women’s bantamweight class is now shook up and could stay that way with the new rivalry that stemmed from UFC 193.
Holm kept a low profile and was someone who many overlooked. She has been equally successful in boxing in the past, highly decorated that went unnoticed.
Entering the fight a virtual unknown, Holm is shocked as well with her performance though there was no denying that she and her camp studied Rousey closely.
And now it will be Rousey’s turn to study Holm as she tried to rebound from the stinging loss that most people hardly talked about. Will she be able to wrest back her belt and get even with Holm in 2016?