Tag: Holly Holm

Cat Zingano Has A Huge Fight At UFC 200

Former title challenger Cat Zingano has her long-awaited return to the Octagon scheduled. The No. 3-ranked ‘Alpha,’ who was last seen losing a 14-second title bout to Ronda Rousey at UFC 184 in February 2015, will meet surging No. 4 Julianna Pena at July 9’s stacked UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) event from the new T-Mobile Arena in

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Former title challenger Cat Zingano has her long-awaited return to the Octagon scheduled.

The No. 3-ranked ‘Alpha,’ who was last seen losing a 14-second title bout to Ronda Rousey at UFC 184 in February 2015, will meet surging No. 4 Julianna Pena at July 9’s stacked UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) event from the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

ESPNW broke the news today:

Zingano earned No. 1 contender status in her first-ever UFC fight, finishing current champion Miesha Tate in the third round a gritty come-from-behind win at 2013’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 Finale. She was unable to serve as coach opposite Ronda Rousey on TUF 18 due to an injured knee, however, and Tate took her place. She returned to the Octagon at UFC 178 in September 2014, topping current title challenger Amanda Nunes via TKO.

The win earned her the title shot at Rousey. Fans have been awaiting her next fight ever since.

Pena, on the other hand, exploded on the UFC scene as the winner of the female contract on TUF 18, but she too dealt with a very serious knee injury that kept her out of action for over a year before she returned to defeat Milana Dudieva in 2015. She then beat Jessica Eye at UFC 192 to solidify her place among the top female bantamweights in MMA.

Zingano teased an ‘epic return’ and many thought hse was referring to a bout with Cris ‘Cyborg’ or Holly Holm, but if she can get past ‘The Venezuelan Vixen,’ she’ll no doubt be dangerously close to the title shot she wants for redemption.

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Manager: Tate Turned Down Holm Rematch At UFC 200 For “Weaker Opponent”

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Apparently UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate took the Amanda Nunes fight at UFC 200 instead of accepting the challenge of an immediate rematch at the landmark event against former champion Holly Holm.

In speaking with The Albuquerque Journal this week, Holm’s manager, Lenny Fresquez, claimed that his fighter would soon be returning to the Octagon in a non-title fight, but that it’s only because “Cupcake” Tate took a “weaker opponent” for her first title defense..

“They tell me Tate chose (Nunes),” Fresquez told the Journal on Thursday in a phone interview. “Holly was offered to her and she chose Nunes. She chose to take a weaker opponent.

“She’s not as stand-up as Holly. She said she’d take on the best, but she’s not willing to take on the best. Holly gave her a chance. We’re pretty disappointed she didn’t return the favor.”

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Apparently UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate took the Amanda Nunes fight at UFC 200 instead of accepting the challenge of an immediate rematch at the landmark event against former champion Holly Holm.

In speaking with The Albuquerque Journal this week, Holm’s manager, Lenny Fresquez, claimed that his fighter would soon be returning to the Octagon in a non-title fight, but that it’s only because “Cupcake” Tate took a “weaker opponent” for her first title defense..

“They tell me Tate chose (Nunes),” Fresquez told the Journal on Thursday in a phone interview. “Holly was offered to her and she chose Nunes. She chose to take a weaker opponent.

“She’s not as stand-up as Holly. She said she’d take on the best, but she’s not willing to take on the best. Holly gave her a chance. We’re pretty disappointed she didn’t return the favor.”

Quote: You’re Damn Right I Begged To Fight ‘Cyborg’

It was announced earlier this week that Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino will finally make her UFC debut at May 14’s UFC 198 from Brazil where she’ll face off with Leslie Smith. While Smith may appear as a rather confusing choice of opponents for the massively hyped Justino’s debut, it turns out that

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It was announced earlier this week that Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino will finally make her UFC debut at May 14’s UFC 198 from Brazil where she’ll face off with Leslie Smith.

While Smith may appear as a rather confusing choice of opponents for the massively hyped Justino’s debut, it turns out that multiple fighters, including former 135-pound champion Holly Holm, turned the fight down.

Smith, however, was relentless in campaigning for the chance:

“You’re damn right I begged,” she recently told MMA Junkie.

“This is the whole reason someone gets into martial arts, so they can find someone who’s the best in the world, challenge them and then come out on top. That’s the reason I’m doing this.”

Now that she has indeed been given the opportunity, “The Peacemaker” plans on making this bout a treat for the fans:

“I’m over here busting my ass to make this the most impressive fight,” she said. “Shoot, this is going to be ‘Fight of the Night.’ This is going to be the most exciting women’s fight of the decade.”

While “Cyborg” will likely emerge as quite a heavy favorite leading up to the fight, Smith assured us that the Brazilian slugger is ‘beatable’:

“‘Cyborg’ is beatable,” she reasoned. “She’s super beatable. She’s not a machine.”

“Any person that walks into a cage, there’s a way to beat them, Smith said. “That’s going to be my job for the next six weeks, to figure out the gameplan to beat her. These aren’t digs at all. It’s just saying there are openings for everybody. I’m going to find the openings.”

How do you see this contest playing out?

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Find Out Why Holly Holm Turned Down Fight With Cris Cyborg

The MMA world was given a refreshing bit of news when it was revealed earlier this week that Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino would finally be making her UFC debut against Leslie Smith at May 14’s UFC 198 from her homeland of Curitiba, Brazil. While Smith is most certainly a gritty and talented

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The MMA world was given a refreshing bit of news when it was revealed earlier this week that Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino would finally be making her UFC debut against Leslie Smith at May 14’s UFC 198 from her homeland of Curitiba, Brazil.

While Smith is most certainly a gritty and talented fighter and also deserves respect for taking the 140-pound catchweight fight, most hoped ‘Cyborg’ would make her debut against the top fighters of the UFC women’s bantamweight division. Obviously Justino has a long-standing feud Ronda Rousey, and bouts with champion Miesha Tate or top contenders Holly Holm and Cat Zingano are very enticing prospects.

However, UFC President Dana White spoke up to declare that no one other than Smith wanted the fight, and apparently Holm, who recently lost the title to Miesha Tate at March 5’s UFC 196, is one that did not. In a recent appearance at a news conference transcribed by The Albuquerque Journal, Holm touched on her desires for her next fight, which not surprisingly include rematches with Tate or Rousey:

“This one’s definitely a little more out of my hands. (In boxing), I knew that Lenny would give me the opportunity as long as I wanted it. This is a whole different situation.

“I really want that rematch, but I’m not the one with the title now. I’m not the one with the belt. So I have to be patient and wait for that opportunity to come.”

‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ seems to know the bargaining chips are a bit out of her hands after Tate submitted her in the fifth round of their title bout, and she believes she can’t be too picky as a result:

“Right now, what’s on my heart is the rematch,” she said. “(But) 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.”

Holm’s longtime manager Lenny Fresquez also spoke up on the subject, adding that the UFC will hopefully give them a chance at Tate or Rousey when her next fight is booked:

“Miesha was in Australia on vacation, so they were supposed to get with her this week,” Fresquez said. “Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks we’ll know. But whether it’s Miesha or Ronda, those are the fights we’re interested in.”

As for the Cyborg fight, Fresquez, whom White infamously said was ‘not that smart’ in a tirade post-UFC 196, said that Holm’s camp is simply not interested in fighting ‘Cyborg’ right now:

“(Fighting Rousey or Tate) is pretty much what Holly wants to do,” Fresquez said. “If they have something else, it’s my job to present it to her. I’ve made her wishes known to them.

“We were not interested in that right now,” Fresquez said. “(Holm) just wants to fight Miesha.”

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Holly Holm’s Manager Declined Proposed Bout With Cris Cyborg

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 fo…

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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.

All UFC 196 Drug Tests Come Back Clean

Despite all of the talk about “everyone” being on steroids during the build-up to UFC 196 earlier this month, every fighter who competed on the card tested negative.

Some of the fighters who competed at UFC 196 were tested by the Nevada State Athlet…

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Despite all of the talk about “everyone” being on steroids during the build-up to UFC 196 earlier this month, every fighter who competed on the card tested negative.

Some of the fighters who competed at UFC 196 were tested by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC), while some were tested by USADA, the UFC’s anti-doping partner.

UFC 196 featured Nate Diaz defeating UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor in a welterweight main event, as well as Miesha Tate upsetting Holly Holm via choke in the co-main event to become the new UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.

The NAC tested 18 fighters on the card, while USADA tested the other six, including the fighters in the main and co-main events. In addition to in-competition testing, USADA also conducts random, out-of-competition testing throughout the year each year.