The dust has yet to settle on Holly Holm‘s shocking upset of Ronda Rousey on Saturday night at UFC 193.
It was one of those moments that will live forever in the memories of those who witnessed it live, whether they were in the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne or watching at home. Those moments don’t come along very often, so when they do, they are truly special.
Matt Serra beating Georges St-Pierre. Fabricio Werdum submitting Fedor Emelianenko. T.J. Dillashaw utterly decimating Renan Barao.
You can add Holm‘s stunning head-kick knockout to that list and keep it there for an eternity.
This is still a time to celebrate and remember, discuss and debate. But eventually, there will come a time when Holm, Rousey and the rest of us must move forward.
At the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White told reporters that a rematch between the two “makes a lot of sense.”
Usually, when a fighter beats a champion in such a convincing manner, there’s very little interest in a rematch. Dillashaw‘s first bout with Barao was a perfect example. Their first fight was so one-sided that it was hard to imagine an immediate rematch going any differently.
The UFC tried to book it anyway but was foiled when Barao couldn’t make weight. The two eventually faced off, and sure enough, Dillashaw was simply better than Barao and destroyed him a second time.
But sometimes, exceptions must be made.
Chris Weidman’s win over Anderson Silva was the perfect example of a champion who had accomplished so much over so many years that a rematch was the just thing to do. Silva’s lengthy winning streak and status as the greatest fighter in the history of the sport dictated that he get a second chance, regardless of how the first fight ended.
The same thing applies to Rousey. Her utter dominance since she entered mixed martial arts, coupled with the lightning-quick way she dispatched all of her opponents until she stepped in the Octagon with Holm, means she is entitled to an immediate rematch.
Sure, she was outclassed and outgunned on Saturday night. But that’s just one night.
Rousey‘s career has been brilliant. She is one of the best fighters in the history of the sport, with one of the best overall careers we have ever seen. To say that she needs to win a fight before getting another title shot is nonsense.
It will come as no surprise if UFC 193 ends up generating major numbers on pay-per-view. Rousey is a bona fide draw and true superstar in every sense of the word. People bought her fights because they wanted to see if she’d be able to dispatch another opponent in mere seconds. She was an attraction, an event.
But now, she doesn’t have the championship. She is no longer undefeated. Rousey, the great one, can be beaten, and Holm proved it in emphatic fashion.
A part of you might think the loss means her drawing power is gone—vanished like a thief in the night—but I think you’ll discover that the opposite is true.
We like our champions to face adversity, to figure out a way to rebound from crushing defeats. Rousey going after the championship and attempting to beat the woman who dethroned her? That’s box office gold. People would tune in, and I suspect it would be even bigger than UFC 193.
Actually, I’d be surprised if it wasn’t. It’d be a huge fight.
Luckily, there’s an event coming up in 2016 in need of a special main event. UFC 200 takes place next July, and you know the UFC will want to load up the card with attractive fights. You’ll likely see two title fights on the card alongside other big names because it is a celebration of how far the UFC has come.
UFC 100 still holds the record for the UFC’s highest-selling pay-per-view ever, and it was a stacked card. UFC 200 will be no different.
Holm vs. Rousey 2 should be the main event of UFC 200, and I’d be surprised if it’s not. It’s the perfect fight at the perfect time, and it would pull in massive numbers of casual fans tuning in to see if Rousey can regain her throne.
Rousey has already noted that she’ll be on the shelf until then, anyway. She has to film a movie, and she needs some time off. She deserves it.
While it isn’t ideal to keep Holm on the shelf until then, it is even less ideal to risk a big-money fight just so the new champion can stay busy.
One of the major rules of promoting is that you don’t risk a sure thing if you don’t have to. Holm vs. Rousey 2 is a sure thing. If you put Holm in the cage with Amanda Nunes, Miesha Tate or someone else, there’s a chance she loses, and then your big rematch goes out the window.
Holm can wait.
The big rematch is worth keeping her on the shelf for seven months. When Rousey returns, the anticipation would be off the charts, and it would be a giant payday for both women—and rightfully so.
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