For Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, a win over top division contender Miesha Tate in the co-main event of the upcoming UFC 196 pay-per-view (PPV) event — taking place on March 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada — would be like winning the lottery.
Turning away “Cupcake” all but guarantees her a rematch with Ronda Rousey.
“The Ronda-Holly rematch is going to be the biggest fight ever in UFC history,” UFC President Dana White told ESPN’s “Jalen & Jacoby Today” podcast (via Washington Post). That means both champion and challenger will score record paydays, when you factor in fight purses and PPV points.
I can’t wait to see how those betting lines ebb and flow in the weeks leading up to fight night.
In addition, White told Big Boy Show (via MMA Fighting) he expects Rousey to return by November, after she completes filming on her upcoming movie project (more on that here). Of course, all of this is moot if Holm can’t get past Tate next month in “Sin City.”
“Stylistically this is a very, very tough fight,” White said. “[Tate’s] going to try to wrestle Holly Holm. She’s durable, she’s got a great chin and stylistically this is a very tough match up.”
For more on UFC 196 click here.