When UFC president Dana White said several members of the female roster turned down the chance to face Cris “Cyborg” Justino, many balked at the claim.
But, it appears White was at least partially telling the truth.
Lenny Fresquez, the manager for Holly Holm, told the Albuquerque Journal that he turned down an offer for the former champion to face Justino this year. Instead, Justino will meet Leslie Smith at UFC 197 in May.
“We were not interesting in that right now,” he said. “(Holm) just wants to fight Miesha (Tate).”
Earlier this year, Holm suffered her first MMA loss, falling via fifth round rear-naked choke to Tate. In 2015, Holm did the same to Ronda Rousey for the belt, earning a second round TKO win.
“Right now, what’s on my heart is the rematch,” Holm said. “I don’t necessarily want to be too picky, either. I’m the one coming off a loss. I can’t expect to have everything handed to me, so we’ll see what happens.”
UFC officials originally wanted to pair Holm and Rousey up, but with “Rowdy” taking time off to film movie roles, Holm opted to stay busy and fight Tate.