It was a different tone and mood during today’s UFC 197 press conference (see it), which featured Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title holders, Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor and Holly Holm, as well as perennial contender, Miesha Tate.
Sure, McGregor was as brash as always, but it might have taken some reporters time to get used to the fact that a women’s Bantamweight title bout was being promoted and Ronda Rousey — the former division queen — was not present.
For Tate, however, it was rather refreshing to not have to deal with the “drama” that comes with fighting Rousey a third time since the two have built up quite a heated rivalry over the last three years.
“It’s just a different kind of feeling leading into this fight. I am a fan of respectfulness and I think Holly is a true sportsman. I like this fight, I like the match up and it’s a little refreshing to not have it be against Ronda and have to go through all the drama of seeing each other all of the time. Holly and I are very friendly, so, it’s just different and nice.”
And career-saving, according to UFC president Dana White.
As for Holm — who earned the 135-pound strap by knocking out “Rowdy” at UFC 193 — she is no longer thinking about a rematch against the judoka now that she’s been booked to take on “Cupcake.”
“I was open to a rematch with Ronda, but I just wanted whatever opportunity was going to come. I think this is even more of a challenging way to go. There is a lot of pressure behind it and anticipation of what I am going to do after the last fight. There is a lot of high expectations. And who wants to be a one-hit wonder, right? So yeah, I want to perform and do well. A lot of people are saying, ‘Oh, you made it to the top!’ And it’s like, that’s just one fight. But, every fight is still something where you want to get better and improve. I still feel like I am climbing and climbing and I don’t ever want to feel like I am at the top. If the Ronda rematch would’ve came, that’s what I would’ve focused on. This is work for me, one fight at a time and I am going to focus on it. Now it’s Miesha, so that’s what I focus on. The whole rematch with Ronda is not even on my mind anymore, that’s not where my focus should be anyway.”
It’s truly a new day in women’s MMA.
How long it will last, though, remains to be seen, as Rousey has already declared that she will be back this year to try and regain what she lost “Down Under,” preferably against “Preacher’s Daughter.”
But, will Tate flip the script on March 5, 2016, and set up a trilogy fight against the woman who handed her back-to-back submission losses?
Time will tell.