FOR THE FIRST time since the Ultimate Fighting Championship introduced the division in December 2012, a UFC women’s bantamweight title bout will take place tonight which won’t involve Ronda Rousey.
Following six straightforward, dominant and successful title defences, Rousey was dethroned in Melbourne back in November when she was knocked out by Holly Holm in the second round of their main-event clash at UFC 193.
Rousey was promised an opportunity to regain the belt in the immediate aftermath by UFC president Dana White, and while that situation hasn’t changed for the Olympic judo bronze medallist, her shot at redemption may not necessarily come in the form of a rematch with the only woman to defeat her in mixed martial arts.
There were tentative plans to arrange a second meeting of Holm and Rousey at UFC 200 on 9 July, but with the new champion not keen on sitting on the sidelines for eight months and uncertainty surrounding when Rousey will be ready to return, the UFC opted to schedule Holm’s inaugural title defence for tonight in Las Vegas.
Before Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz meet in the final bout of the UFC 196 card, Holm will aim to keep her status as the UFC women’s bantamweight champion intact when she takes on Rousey’s former foe, Miesha Tate.
The message from the UFC is that Rousey will face the winner later this year, but the organisation will hope that Holm can avoid falling at the first hurdle when she makes her bow as a title-holder. A Holm-Rousey rematch is key to their plans. But Miesha Tate, who has already failed twice against Rousey, has a different outlook.
Holly Holm's hand is raised after her knockout of Ronda Rousey. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
The rivalry between Tate and Rousey stems from their days with the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion. Rousey clinched Tate’s Strikeforce title via first-round submission in an ill-tempered contest in March 2012.
Advertisement
When the pair rematched in the UFC in December 2013 — after the animosity between them intensified during a season as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter — Tate made it as far as the third round but Rousey secured the armbar-stoppage once again.
A third meeting of Rousey and Tate appeared to be on tap last year after Tate picked up her fourth consecutive win, but the UFC pulled an unlikely challenger from left-field to face Rousey in Australia instead. Holly Holm’s UFC record consisted of a couple of unremarkable decision wins, so few gave her a chance of threatening Rousey’s dominance.
But just 59 seconds into the second round at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, Holm wheeled off to celebrate a stunning knockout victory as a shocked Rousey was handed her first ever MMA loss.
Tonight represents Holm’s first outing as the top female fighter in the UFC at 135lbs, but the main talking point heading into the fight has been the future of the woman she succeeded. When will Ronda Rousey return to the octagon and who will be standing across from her when that time comes?
“I guess that would be a question for me to ask you guys,” said Holm when asked if she’s likely to stop being quizzed about Rousey any time soon.
Ronda Rousey submits Miesha Tate at UFC 168. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
“[Ronda] has done a lot for MMA and I don’t want to take away from her but I’ve got a different fight in front of me and Miesha Tate is the name on my mind. I’m not looking past 5 March, that’s as far as my mind will let me go, that’s as far as my heart and my passion will let me go.
“Right now I have Miesha in front of me. I’m glad fans want to see things, that’s why they’re in the stands and I hope I can give them fights they want to see. I never want to be a one-hit wonder. When I look at myself I don’t even see myself with the belt. When I think of my fight, I feel like I’m fighting for the belt, not that I have it already.
“I’m still driving forward, so I don’t even consider myself the champ right now. I consider myself the person who needs to go in and fight for it.”
Holm’s defeat of Ronda Rousey was seen as a major setback for the UFC, as their biggest star at the time was unexpectedly dismantled. Ironically, if the woman responsible for that result meets with a similar fate this evening, it could be an even bigger blow to the organisation’s plans.
In her recent media interactions, Rousey has lacked enthusiasm when asked about the prospect of fighting again. The former champion, whose acting commitments could also complicate the picture, seems more intent on avenging the loss than getting her hands on the belt again. The ideal scenario for all involved is that the two goals will go hand-in-hand.
All except Miesha Tate, of course. Should the 29-year-old challenger clinch the strap tonight in her seventh UFC outing, she’s set to be rewarded with a chance to make it third-time-lucky against the woman who has already beaten her twice. A significant incentive for Tate, but is that prospect likely to be enough to convince Rousey to return?
“I don’t want anyone else to take the honour of beating [Holly Holm] besides myself,” Rousey said recently.
Miesha Tate weighing in for UFC 196 last night in Las Vegas. Raymond Spencer / INPHO
Raymond Spencer / INPHO / INPHO
Tate was angered by the UFC’s decision to fast-track Holm into a title shot at her expense last year. For her, scuppering the plans of Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and co. tonight would be a suitable response.
“Right now, there’s no other match than Saturday,” Tate said. “There’s no looking beyond this and I don’t know if Ronda is ever going to come back. I can’t bank on what’s next when I have to accomplish this first.
“I would like to fight her again if she stays around. If she doesn’t, I didn’t get in this sport thinking, ‘I want to create an arch nemesis and beat that person’. No, it’s like I want to become the best in the world. So this is the moment that matters to me right now. Being a champion is what matters to me.”
Ronda Rousey's shadow looms large over tonight's UFC 196 co-headliner
FOR THE FIRST time since the Ultimate Fighting Championship introduced the division in December 2012, a UFC women’s bantamweight title bout will take place tonight which won’t involve Ronda Rousey.
Following six straightforward, dominant and successful title defences, Rousey was dethroned in Melbourne back in November when she was knocked out by Holly Holm in the second round of their main-event clash at UFC 193.
Rousey was promised an opportunity to regain the belt in the immediate aftermath by UFC president Dana White, and while that situation hasn’t changed for the Olympic judo bronze medallist, her shot at redemption may not necessarily come in the form of a rematch with the only woman to defeat her in mixed martial arts.
There were tentative plans to arrange a second meeting of Holm and Rousey at UFC 200 on 9 July, but with the new champion not keen on sitting on the sidelines for eight months and uncertainty surrounding when Rousey will be ready to return, the UFC opted to schedule Holm’s inaugural title defence for tonight in Las Vegas.
Before Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz meet in the final bout of the UFC 196 card, Holm will aim to keep her status as the UFC women’s bantamweight champion intact when she takes on Rousey’s former foe, Miesha Tate.
The message from the UFC is that Rousey will face the winner later this year, but the organisation will hope that Holm can avoid falling at the first hurdle when she makes her bow as a title-holder. A Holm-Rousey rematch is key to their plans. But Miesha Tate, who has already failed twice against Rousey, has a different outlook.
The rivalry between Tate and Rousey stems from their days with the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion. Rousey clinched Tate’s Strikeforce title via first-round submission in an ill-tempered contest in March 2012.
When the pair rematched in the UFC in December 2013 — after the animosity between them intensified during a season as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter — Tate made it as far as the third round but Rousey secured the armbar-stoppage once again.
A third meeting of Rousey and Tate appeared to be on tap last year after Tate picked up her fourth consecutive win, but the UFC pulled an unlikely challenger from left-field to face Rousey in Australia instead. Holly Holm’s UFC record consisted of a couple of unremarkable decision wins, so few gave her a chance of threatening Rousey’s dominance.
But just 59 seconds into the second round at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, Holm wheeled off to celebrate a stunning knockout victory as a shocked Rousey was handed her first ever MMA loss.
Tonight represents Holm’s first outing as the top female fighter in the UFC at 135lbs, but the main talking point heading into the fight has been the future of the woman she succeeded. When will Ronda Rousey return to the octagon and who will be standing across from her when that time comes?
“I guess that would be a question for me to ask you guys,” said Holm when asked if she’s likely to stop being quizzed about Rousey any time soon.
“[Ronda] has done a lot for MMA and I don’t want to take away from her but I’ve got a different fight in front of me and Miesha Tate is the name on my mind. I’m not looking past 5 March, that’s as far as my mind will let me go, that’s as far as my heart and my passion will let me go.
“Right now I have Miesha in front of me. I’m glad fans want to see things, that’s why they’re in the stands and I hope I can give them fights they want to see. I never want to be a one-hit wonder. When I look at myself I don’t even see myself with the belt. When I think of my fight, I feel like I’m fighting for the belt, not that I have it already.
“I’m still driving forward, so I don’t even consider myself the champ right now. I consider myself the person who needs to go in and fight for it.”
Holm’s defeat of Ronda Rousey was seen as a major setback for the UFC, as their biggest star at the time was unexpectedly dismantled. Ironically, if the woman responsible for that result meets with a similar fate this evening, it could be an even bigger blow to the organisation’s plans.
In her recent media interactions, Rousey has lacked enthusiasm when asked about the prospect of fighting again. The former champion, whose acting commitments could also complicate the picture, seems more intent on avenging the loss than getting her hands on the belt again. The ideal scenario for all involved is that the two goals will go hand-in-hand.
All except Miesha Tate, of course. Should the 29-year-old challenger clinch the strap tonight in her seventh UFC outing, she’s set to be rewarded with a chance to make it third-time-lucky against the woman who has already beaten her twice. A significant incentive for Tate, but is that prospect likely to be enough to convince Rousey to return?
“I don’t want anyone else to take the honour of beating [Holly Holm] besides myself,” Rousey said recently.
Tate was angered by the UFC’s decision to fast-track Holm into a title shot at her expense last year. For her, scuppering the plans of Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and co. tonight would be a suitable response.
“Right now, there’s no other match than Saturday,” Tate said. “There’s no looking beyond this and I don’t know if Ronda is ever going to come back. I can’t bank on what’s next when I have to accomplish this first.
“I would like to fight her again if she stays around. If she doesn’t, I didn’t get in this sport thinking, ‘I want to create an arch nemesis and beat that person’. No, it’s like I want to become the best in the world. So this is the moment that matters to me right now. Being a champion is what matters to me.”
McGregor’s hands likely to do the talking but Diaz’s ground offensive a concern
Letter from Las Vegas: NOW we’ve got ourselves an Irish takeover
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Holly Holm Holly's bow Miesha Tate mixed martial arts MMA UFC UFC 196 Ultimate Fighting Championship Women's Sport