Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm to have rematch, says UFC president
Friday 4 December 2015 13:40, UK
UFC president Dana White has confirmed Ronda Rousey will get a rematch with Holly Holm for the women's bantamweight title.
Rousey was undefeated in six UFC contests prior to being knocked clean out by a head kick from Holm in the second round of their contest at UFC 193 in Melbourne last month.
The 28-year-old from California faced being suspended by the UFC for six months for fear of concussion but White has now confirmed a rematch is very much on the cards.
"Holly agrees she deserves a rematch, and we'll figure it out," White told ESPN.
"Ronda Rousey has gone undefeated, taken the sport to another level and was beating the best women in the world in 14 seconds or 30 seconds, so she deserves a rematch.
"That fight's going to happen. I don't know when, but that's the fight that will happen.
"I think that if we didn't make the rematch, me and [UFC CEO and co-owner] Lorenzo [Fertitta] should probably lose our promoters' licence."
Meanwhile, UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor suggested Rousey had been a little over-worked in the build up to her fight with Holm.
"I know there was problems," McGregor said.
"I don't know her situation. From looking from where I was at, I could see that maybe she's doing a little too much on the media side. That coupled with personal life that I don't know about, maybe could've hampered her training a little bit. Maybe could have hampered her mind.
"And then the particular style of opponent in Holly. It all kind of combined into making her a little bit too emotionally invested."
But White is unsure whether Rousey's schedule contributed to her defeat, suggesting she lost to a finished article fighter in Albuquerque's Holm.
"I don't know what the answer is - this woman who was so dominant - other than the fact Holly Holm is for real," White said.
"She's very, very good. Ronda had been a workhorse before that. Maybe everything caught up with her. Maybe she was exhausted. Or maybe Holly Holm was that good."
