The UFC is inclined to hold an immediate rematch between UFC Women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm and former champion Ronda Rousey. This is almost certain to happen at UFC 200, which will be held in July.
With about six months to go before then, the curious thing is that Holm is not booked to fight anywhere in those months, which seems to signal that the only thing the UFC wants right now is a rematch between the two protagonists at UFC 193.
Just recently, Rousey resurfaced and narrated the things she has been up to ever since that second-round KO loss to Holm. The former champ did somehow hint about her depressed state on the setback via that exclusive ESPN The Magazine, but she did vow to return and get back at Holm.
Also mentioned in the article was the possibility of retirement should she fall to Holm again. Though Rousey did indicate plans of retiring when she turns 31, her swan song could happen at UFC 200 if Holm repeats her mastery over Rousey.
Holm is apparently ready for Rousey at any time, but it seems the long wait has become a concern. In fact, they aren’t confident that Rousey would be good to go when UFC 200 does come around.
Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez points out that with the beating that Rousey got at the hands of Holm, there is a chance that Rousey may not be up to the task despite the six-month allowance.
“I’m not sure Ronda will be ready for a July fight,” Fresquez said via the LA Times. “She took a severe beating, and I don’t think it’s in her best interest to take the next fight so fast. They told me she’s been ready and cleared, but … ”
With that in mind, Fresquez has inserted a former Rousey foe in Miesha Tate. Tate is the only fighter who was able to last more than a round against Rowdy so pitting her against Holm could be a possibility.
The only thing is that the UFC may be looking at the revenue a tiff could generate. Trash talk is likely to be close to nil with the two known to be good friends. So with no color behind a possible tiff, it doesn’t look like a match could haul in a big payday.
Seeing this materialize for UFC 200 could depend on Rousey in the end. The hoopla right now is a Holm vs. Rousey rematch, but seeing that the former champion has yet to fully recover, her actual state could improve in the coming months.
Does this mean that the UFC is not interested in a Holm vs. Tate match?
Though there is nothing set in stone, the UFC could consider pitting the two somewhere in between the six-month break. There are risks, like maybe seeing Holm lose to Tate or the reigning champion incurring some kind of injury.
Those are the risks, but seeing the magnitude of that shocking development at UFC 193, Dana White and company may be preserving Holm for Rousey and vice versa.
It does seem like a long wait and the final decision may fall at the hands of one man, Dana White.
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