If you’re not a fan of Holly Holm being next for Ronda Rousey, you’re not alone.
The UFC women’s bantamweight champ announced her next booking Friday on Good Morning America, selling Holm as the toughest test of her career.
“I’ll be fighting Holly Holm, who is actually the most decorated striker we have in all of mixed martial arts,” Rousey said. “Not the women’s division. Not the bantamweight division. Like, 19X boxing world champion Holly Holm. The Ring Magazine pound-for-pound fighter of the year. Definitely my biggest challenge to date.”
Well, UFC commentator Joe Rogan isn’t buying it.
“I don’t agree with that fight,” Rogan said Sunday on his podcast. “That Holly Holm fight. I don’t think that’s smart. I would have gone with Amanda Nunes before Holly Holm. Amanda Nunes looked like a badass when she knocked out Sara McMann. That’s a more dangerous fighter. A more marketable fighter. [Holm] is only the best boxer in the world if Ann Wolf decides not to box.”
Rogan didn’t rule out Holm’s chances against Rousey completely, but it’s clear he isn’t betting on the field to beat the champ.
“Yea, I don’t know,” said Rogan. “The Holly Holm fight is not as intriguing to me as Amanda Nunes would be. [Holm’s] big issue is the grappling. Who knows, though? You never know. Maybe Holly, because her standup is so much more refined, she’s been doing it for so much longer, maybe she can keep Ronda away from her. I’m serious. I just think, honestly, the real problem is that there’s a lack of talent.”
“Ronda’s going to have to do things now. She’ll have to do a judo match during the day and then have an MMA fight. Remember when Roy Jones Jr. would play basketball? He played basketball the day of a world title defense. The day of.”
Rogan went back to the classic Mike Tyson comparison for Rousey, but wasn’t quite as complimentary of her division.
“Bruce Seldon was a legit, world-class heavyweight,” said Rogan. “[Tyson’s competition] were really good fighters. The real problem with those guys is that they were fighting Tyson. The real problem with Ronda is that Ronda is like a Mike Tyson. She’s the elite of the elite. Those girls? No. They’re good. She’s great. They’re amongst the best.
“I think Amanda Nunes has real potential. If you look at Claudia Gadelha, she’s world-class. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, world-class. There’s a few. Cris Cyborg, steroids or no steroids, take away the controversy, go by her performances, ferocious. That’s four. There’s four of them.”
Rousey defends her bantamweight title to Holm Jan. 2 in the main event at UFC 195 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
5 MUST-READ STORIES
Knock on wood. Chuck Mindenhall explains how UFC 194 is too good to be true.
Serious business. UFC drug czar Jeff Novitzky says fighters could face a two-year suspension for violating the IV ban.
Toss up. Frank Mir calls the Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez rematch “a 50/50 fight.”
Sorry, Miesha. Dana White says he went with Holly Holm because “everyone’s already seen” Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate.
‘I was shocked to hear the announcement.’ Miesha Tate says she’s “extremely disappointed” about the news of Holly Holm replacing her against Ronda Rousey.
MEDIA STEW
Max Holloway wants Frankie Edgar in Hawaii.
Highlights from Neil Magny vs. Erick Silva.
Frankie Perez retires after scoring his first UFC win and Michael Bisping had a hell of a take.
Ronda Rousey talks fight with Holly Holm with cringeworthy news people.
Donald Trump’s unrequited love for Ronda Rousey.
TTTHS.
Long watches.
UFC Fight Night Saskatoon: Post-fight Press Conference
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TWEETS
See how the pros reacted to UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira.
Beef.
You’ve won your fights and UFC still has no interest on you. You called me rookie! So come to fight with the “Rookie”@MieshaTate @seanshelby
— Bethe (@bethecorreia) August 21, 2015
I bet I’ll fight for the title again before you @MieshaTate sorry! UFC has no interest on you @seanshelby @ufc @ufc_brasil
— Bethe (@bethecorreia) August 22, 2015
. @bethecorreia I’ll fight you “rookie”
— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) August 22, 2015
@mmasarah I’m here, come!
— Bethe (@bethecorreia) August 22, 2015
#Repost farhad_kireev . ??? You should not have talked so much @alistairovereem @junior_cigano… https://t.co/C1ztIVO1bY
— Junior Dos Santos (@junior_cigano) August 23, 2015
@junior_cigano don’t be a DNB.. Sign the contract
— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) August 23, 2015
Wow I can’t even imagine my ufc division being so weak that after only 2 wins you get a title fight. I’m 4-0 in the ufc and ranked like 38.
— James Vick (@JamesVickMMA) August 21, 2015
I know right? But of course you can’t imagine it. You’re as marketable as a can of baked beans. #ItsThePPVBusiness https://t.co/2eQ3ovpcwj
— Angela Magana UFC (@AngelaMagana1) August 21, 2015
Bisping reactions.
@joeywerk no I wasn’t trashing him. He had a gr8 performance and all credit. It’s a he’d sport and maybe he doesn’t want to do it.
— michael (@bisping) August 24, 2015
Who steps in the octagon, and I wish him all the best. He had a great win.
— michael (@bisping) August 24, 2015
Ok I meant maybe he did, maybe he doesn’t. Either way, great win.
— michael (@bisping) August 24, 2015
Really struggling with this Fox broadcast… #CantLookAway
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) August 24, 2015
Beautiful way to make MMA accessible and mainstream–insult the people who respect their families enough to put them first. Bravo, Bisping
— Julie Kedzie (@julesk_fighter) August 24, 2015
@bisping it takes a bigger man and more balls to walk away on top, than to sit and disrespect @TeamFrankieP . #youdontknowwhathegotgoingon
— Corey Anderson UFC (@CoreyA_MMA) August 24, 2015
Lololololol what did Bisping say?
— Marcelino Evil (@KCBanditMMA) August 24, 2015
“The smell test”
Dang Silva lookin soft in this one.
— Charlie Brenneman (@SpaniardMMA) August 24, 2015
Silva definitely looks very different physically. Looking sloppy with his technique tonight as well. #UFCSaskatoon
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) August 24, 2015
Someone is off the sauce #justsaying
— Truck Gordon (@TruckMMA_UFC) August 24, 2015
It’s weird seeing how different some guys bodies have been looking since their last fights
— David Michaud (@bulldawgUFC) August 24, 2015
Why do you think that is ????? https://t.co/SLL6tJUX9z
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) August 24, 2015
Erick Silva went from Mr. Baywatch to Dad bod #UFCSaskatoon
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) August 24, 2015
Welp.
Holloway vs Oliveira can’t suck, it’s impossible! #UFCSaskatoon
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) August 24, 2015
Nice.
Who’s in the mood for some #Korean bbq? #UFC
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) August 24, 2015
Agree?
@NeilMagny probably the most underrated in the division… just saying
— Rory MacDonald (@rory_macdonald) August 24, 2015
You win.
@Randy_Couture So there’s a monster truck in Canada that’s made into the shape of Randy and I’m inside him right now! pic.twitter.com/frq7bgymrf
— Mindy Robinson (@iheartmindy) August 23, 2015
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Aug. 21-23 2015)
Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm at UFC 195
Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale
Claudia Gadelha vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 195
Kevin Lee vs. Leonardo Santos at UFC 194
C.B. Dollaway vs. Nate Marquardt at UFC on FOX 17
Tamdan McCrory vs. Josh Samman at UFC on FOX 17
Thiago Alves vs. Benson Henderson at UFC Fight Night: Alves vs. Henderson
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Jorge Masvidal at UFC Fight Night: Alves vs. Henderson
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Anthony Hamilton at UFC Fight Night: Alves vs. Henderson
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via Winner By TKO.
Why Rousey vs. Holm Is Far More Than Just a Miesha Tate Snub – It’s Symptomatic of a Bigger Problem
December 29th, 2013. ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey awakes. She basks in the glory of beating her bitter rival for the second time and has a chuckle to herself about how many chicken wings she ingested while celebrating with her team last night. Miesha ‘Cupcake’ Tate awakes. Bitterly disappointed and dejected; but she at least had a couple of small moral victories in taking the champion further than anyone ever has, and in getting some vociferous support from large sections of the Las Vegas UFC 168 crowd. And hey, at least she won’t have to deal with her arch-nemesis and her team for a while: filming a reality show for 6 weeks followed by promoting a huge title fight alongside her must have been taxing.
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Check out the rest of the post here.
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