But then, things started to sort themselves out on Wednesday’s edition of when Dana White told the UFC Tonight gang that “If anyone can hold two belts, it’s Conor McGregor.” With that ringing endorsement now out there in the universe, it was pretty much a given that McGregor would challenge lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos next, which recent reports now indicate will be the case.
But then, things started to sort themselves out on Wednesday’s edition of when Dana White told the UFC Tonight gang that “If anyone can hold two belts, it’s Conor McGregor.” With that ringing endorsement now out there in the universe, it was pretty much a given that McGregor would challenge lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos next, which recent reports now indicate will be the case.
Details after the jump.
As first reported by Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter (citing multiple sources), McGregor will in fact be moving up to lightweight next to take on Dos Anjos in the main event of UFC 197 on March 5th in Las Vegas.
And not only that, but Botter also confirmed that Holly Holmwill be getting her wish to fight once more before rematching Ronda Rousey, squaring off against former title challenger Miesha Tate in UFC 197′s co-main event. Which, wow. It’s getting harder and harder to be a cynical, biased, UFC h8ing MMA blog these days when looking at the absolutely amazing run they’ve been on lately. (Luckily, there’s still their Nazi-esque outfitting policy to take shots at or we’d probably have to close up shop.)
It’s worth mentioning that Ariel Helwani hinted at “a couple of big fights” being looked at for March 5th back in December, only to be immediately shut down by Dana White for being “full of shit.” Here’s hoping that he has the balls to hit Dana with a zinger like this the next time they’re face-to-face.
(I tell you what, if this rematch happens in ballroom dresses and heels, Holm is FUCKED.)
The rate at which Ronda Rousey has changed her tune following her stunning loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 is enough to give anyone whiplash. Prior to the bout, Rousey was doing nothing short of calling her home runs from the plate, claiming that she would “retire undefeated” and “be known as the greatest fighter that ever lived.” Nowadays, she’s already planning her exit strategy from the sport should she lose her rematch to Holm, telling ESPN, “If I lose, I’ll be done with everything.”
And if what we’ve been hearing out of her camp is any indication, that rematch is not going to go well for her. For starters, she’ll be sticking by Edmund Tarverdyan’s side even though the government will soon be seizing all his assets. Secondly, she’ll spend at least a decent chunk of her time away from the octagon filming back-to-back movies, according to a recent interview with Lorenzo Fertitta.
(I tell you what, if this rematch happens in ballroom dresses and heels, Holm is FUCKED.)
The rate at which Ronda Rousey has changed her tune following her stunning loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 is enough to give anyone whiplash. Prior to the bout, Rousey was doing nothing short of calling her home runs from the plate, claiming that she would “retire undefeated” and “be known as the greatest fighter that ever lived.” Nowadays, she’s already planning her exit strategy from the sport should she lose her rematch to Holm, telling ESPN, “If I lose, I’ll be done with everything.”
And if what we’ve been hearing out of her camp is any indication, that rematch is not going to go well for her. For starters, she’ll be sticking by Edmund Tarverdyan’s side even though the government will soon be seizing all his assets. Secondly, she’ll spend at least a decent chunk of her time away from the octagon filming back-to-back movies, according to a recent interview with Lorenzo Fertitta.
Details after the jump.
Speaking with Sporting News, Fertitta described his recent visit with Rousey, and it’s hard not to find his words a little ominous.
I went out to see her in L.A. Had some real good conversations with her. She is, as you would expect, very disappointed. Distraught, to some extent. She’s never lost. She never lost a fight in the Octagon. She never lost a fight in the street. She didn’t know what it was like. Right? … She is champing to be back in there. She made some commitments before the fight to make two movies. So she’s going to do that. Then get back to training in the Octagon.
We get it, commitments are commitments, but it doesn’t exactly bode well that the same person who described herself as “exhausted” going into UFC 193 (no doubt due to her plethora of media obligations and increasingly demanding Hollywood schedule) will be shooting two movies before getting back to focusing on the biggest fight of her life — especially when one of those movies is a goddamn remake of Road House. It would be like if Rocky got his ass kicked by Clubber Lang in Rocky 3, then went right back to doing Muppets appearances instead of engaging in mildly homoerotic beach sprintslike a true champion.
Of course, with the UFC all but forcing Holm to sit out until Rousey is ready to fight, it’s pretty clear to see which way the promotion’s hands are swayed. If Fertitta is to be believed, however, Rousey is simply putting on that crushed, deflated demeanor in order to fool all us easily-swayed media types.
“She has options,” said Fertitta. “But let me tell you what. Ronda is the single most competitive person I’ve ever met in my life. If you don’t think she isn’t ready right now … She’s plotting her comeback. I don’t think anything can stop her from coming back.”
Shock. Disbelief. Speechlessness. You can insert your own emotion here to sum up your feelings about Holly Holm’s upset win over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 on Saturday night. But please refrain from invoking another emotion: Despair.
Shock. Disbelief. Speechlessness. You can insert your own emotion here to sum up your feelings about Holly Holm’s upset win over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 on Saturday night. But please refrain from invoking another emotion: Despair.
It’s going to be popular to assume that Rousey showing she is, in fact, beatable is a bad thing for the UFC or for women’s mixed martial arts in general. You might even go so far as to be like my friend here, who I’m assuming spoke with his tongue planted firmly in cheek:
But please relax, MMA fans. I’m here to tell you why Holm defeating Rousey is actually a terrific thing for both the UFC and women’s MMA in general. Even though he looked crestfallen during the postfight press conference, UFC President Dana White should also be the happiest guy around with how UFC 193 unfolded.
Let’s say Rousey performed her usual routine and demolished Holm in a minute or less. Prior to last night’s bout, Rousey said she wanted to “disappear for a while” after her title defense. Judging by how she looked and acted during the weigh-ins, that might have been a good idea. You have to wonder if the spotlight and all the media attention was starting to get to Rousey a little bit.
Anyway, if Rousey dominated Holm at UFC 193, there would be no challengers left. Miesha Tate isn’t getting another title shot, apparently. The memory of Cat Zingano’s 14-second loss to Rousey is still fresh in many people’s minds, so she’s out. It looks increasingly unlikely (especially after Saturday night’s card) that a fight between Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino isn’t going to happen. If Rousey defeated Holm, the women’s bantamweight division would basically be held hostage by Rousey’s continued success.
But now, we have a plethora of fresh matchups that are possible. Which begins with the immediate rematch that will happen between Holm and Rousey. While it’s not exactly fresh, Rousey/Holm 2 gives the UFC another big fight to promote in the new year that people will want to see. In fact, it would be the perfect main event for the UFC’s 200th card, which will more than likely take place in Madison Square Garden.
When you think about some of the memorable moments that have taken place in the world’s most famous arena, having two women face off in the main event of the first UFC card at MSG will represent another significant achievement for women’s MMA and women’s sports in general.
Plus, the rematch between Holm and Rousey sells itself. People are comparing Holm’s upset to other notable upsets, such as Buster Douglas defeating Mike Tyson. Since the UFC and White have never met hyperbole they didn’t love, all they need to do is invoke a few other famous upsets in video packages for Holm/Rousey 2, sit back and watch the dough pour in. White will practically have to do no work at all.
The outcome of Holm/Rousey 2 is almost irrelevant, as well. If Rousey gets her title back, she can resume her perch as the greatest women’s MMA fighter of all time and continue to enjoy all the Hollywood offers that will no doubt keep pouring in. If Holm wins, then the UFC has a brand new star to promote. Holly Holm – “The Ronda Slayer.”
We would also be privy to a bunch of exciting new fights at women’s bantamweight if Holm retains her title. If the UFC relents and grants Tate a title shot, could Holm use her striking to keep Tate and her grappling at bay? If Holm faced Zingano, that would be a MMA striking fan’s dream with Holm’s boxing and kickboxing going against Zingano’s Muay Thai.
It’s easy to think that Rousey losing to Holm somehow portends bad things for the UFC or women’s MMA, as my misguided friend above might imply. But guess what? The MMA world didn’t end when Matt Serra upset Georges St. Pierre, and St. Pierre worked his way back to a rematch with Serra and re-established himself as maybe the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Some people might have thought Brock Lesnar getting exposed by Cain Velasquez was bad for the UFC, but both parties emerged from that just fine.
The bottom line is, stars come and go in MMA, and in all sports. We may just have a new one in Holly Holm, who might just pick up where Rousey left off in carrying the flag for women’s MMA.
Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also opines on all things UFC, Bellator and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or visit his Twitter: @mmamaryland.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Holly Holm’s upset at UFC 193 wasn’t just a win, it was a wrecking of Ronda Rousey’s world. It was the equivalent of throwing a cold glass of water on the shared superstar dreams of Rousey and UFC president Dana White.
Fighters suffer big losses on a fairly regular basis in the UFC; it happens and the good ones always bounce back. But this time was different.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Holly Holm’s upset at UFC 193 wasn’t just a win, it was a wrecking of Ronda Rousey’s world. It was the equivalent of throwing a cold glass of water on the shared superstar dreams of Rousey and UFC president Dana White.
Fighters suffer big losses on a fairly regular basis in the UFC; it happens and the good ones always bounce back. But this time was different.
Rousey wasn’t a star amongst stars in the company – she was the star. White has made it no secret that Ronda is far and away the biggest draw in the UFC. And not only was she the No. 1 name, but her stardom was built upon a platform of invincibility.
It’d be one thing if Ronda got caught with a lucky right hand amidst an otherwise good performance, but Rousey was decimated, outclassed and embarrassed by a much better fighter. You can’t be the face of a fighting company when other fighters can thoroughly dominate you.
Holm also ruined Rousey’s perfectly laid vacation plans. The idea was for Ronda to relax after another win. She was going to rest up, work on some movies, maybe do some more marketing and enjoy life outside the octagon.
That’s all changed now. First, Ronda needs to recover from her beating – but then she needs to immediately work on her stand-up game and her striking defense. Holm laid out a blueprint on how to take advantage of Ronda’s one-dimensional focus. Now, not only is Holly a serious threat to the former champ, but all the other women looking to knock off Rousey have witnessed a successful game plan.
As for the movies and other business opportunities, Ronda needs to first rebound in the octagon if she hopes to completely rehabilitate her image. While there’s still marketing appeal to Rousey today, questions will hover until she proves she can bounce back. Before the weekend, Ronda was an unbeatable warrior who some say could have toppled even Floyd Mayweather, Jr. As of today, she’s the girl the other girl sent to the hospital.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ronda Rousey needed to get knocked out, to put it bluntly. She had let all the hype go to her head and was recently acting like a cross between a brat and a bully.
Enter Holly Holm. She came into this fight as a 14-1 underdog and the No. 7 fighter in the division – and she annihilated Rousey from the opening bell until her lights-out kick.
Holm beat Rousey so ridiculously bad that Dana White was in full defensive mode in the post fight press conference. His cash cow didn’t just get caught with a lucky punch, she got torn apart in the ring to the point she literally looked like a drunk throwing punches. That’s not good for business.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ronda Rousey needed to get knocked out, to put it bluntly. She had let all the hype go to her head and was recently acting like a cross between a brat and a bully.
Enter Holly Holm. She came into this fight as a 14-1 underdog and the No. 7 fighter in the division – and she annihilated Rousey from the opening bell until her lights-out kick.
Holm beat Rousey so ridiculously bad that Dana White was in full defensive mode in the post fight press conference. His cash cow didn’t just get caught with a lucky punch, she got torn apart in the ring to the point she literally looked like a drunk throwing punches. That’s not good for business.
I think this loss is going to shake Rousey to the core. Everyone told her she couldn’t lose and it appeared as if she believed her own hype. Now her indestructible hype bubble has popped, what will she do?
Holm laid out the blueprint on Rousey who suddenly finds herself in a very similar position as Brock Lesnar did a few years ago. Rousey and Lesnar both started off as physically dominant athletes who brutalized opponents on the ground.
At first, both stormed the UFC and everybody caught up in the whirlwind. The problem was their strong ground game covered up their lacking stand up game and it was only a matter of time until the best martial artists in the world figured it out.
One person who didn’t get enough publicity in all the post fight hub was Holm’s coach Greg Jackson. Jackson already has a minted reputation as the best MMA coach in all the land and his fighter just turned in a sparkling performance with a flawlessly executed game plan.
Now that Dana White’s golden goose has been cooked, we can all go back to a more rational MMA conversation. I’d like to personally thank Holm for her serving a slice of justice. Not only did she make Rousey see stars, she eliminated an out of control hype machine; White will now be forced to find a cash cow that is based in reality. Oh, and Holm will probably end up getting Rousey’s overrated coach fired.
That’s not bad for a night’s work, not bad at all.
Last, let’s congratulate White, Rousey and Holm for making a women’s sport huge. Before the match even started, I found the whole scenario surreal. Here I was on Saturday night, truly on pins and needles waiting for a women’s main event fight to unfold. That’s pretty damn amazing.
Great job to White and Rousey for getting it rolling and Holm gets the nod for infusing much needed competition. No one gave her a chance (including yours truly) but Holm is your new champion of the world. Wow.
