It won’t be a trilogy fight with Miesha Tate after all.
During a Friday appearance on Good Morning America, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey broke the news that she will be facing Holly Holm in her next title defense.
“January 2 I’ll be fighting Holly Holm, who’s the most decorated striker we have in all of mixed martial arts,” Rousey said on the show. “Not the women’s division, not the bantamweight division. [Holm]’s a 19-time boxing champion Holly Holm was The Ring magazine pound-for-pound Fighter of the Year, and definitely my biggest challenge to date.”
The 28-year old Rousey (12-0) is coming off a 34-second knockout victory over Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro, Before then she finished Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano in 14 and 16 seconds respectively.
After Tate had won her last fight against Jessica Eye in July, UFC president Dana White had said that she would be next in line to fight for the bantamweight title.
Holm, 33, is undefeated since crossing over to mixed martial arts after a successful career as a boxer, where she posted a 33-2-3 record and held the IBA and WBF world titles. She is 9-0 in MMA, and 2-0 in the UFC. She defeated Marlon Reneau via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 71 in San Diego.
Asked why people should buy her fights, with her vanquishing her opponents so quickly, Rousey said she preps for tough battles.
“I prepare for a five-round war every time I get in there,” she said. “Nobody’s easy until after you beat them. With Holly Holm, she’s the type that’s ready to go 12 boxing rounds. She’s not the average chick that I’d fight. I mean, she’s the best striker I’ve ever fought and the striking is something I learned much later in my career. So, I don’t ever expect fights to be easy and fast.
“No one knows exactly how fast the fights are going to go, and that’s why everybody buys them.”
UFC 195 takes place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Holm vs. Rousey will be the main event.