UFC Women's Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title on January 2, 2016. Her ring opponent is not Cris "Cyborg" Justino or Miesha Tate but Holly Holm.
Rousey announced on Friday on "Good Morning America" the change in ring foe for her title defense at UFC 195. The fight, to be held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, would also be available via pay-per-view.
With 12-0 record in MMA and 6-0 in UFC, Rousey is seen as having the upper hand over Holm who has a record on 9-0 in MMA and 2-0 in UFC. Prior to shifting to mixed martial arts, Holm won 35 in 41 kickboxing and pro-boxing fights.
However, Holm has received unnecessary dissing from MMA fans. Mike Dolce, weight management coach of Rousey and other MMA fighter, foresees Holm being bashed on the internet and defends UFC's choice because she is also undefeated. But Dolce acknowledges that Miesha's deserves to be number 1 contender for the bantamweight title, but he points out that Miesha already had two cracks at Rousey, reports MMAJunkie.
Holm says her bout with Rousey would be a good chance for Ronda to prove her armbar which has been the subject of talk among MMA and UFC fans. "I think that she wanted to prove to them she has more than that, which she has done just that. So, this is a big opportunity for her to really show people what she's made of," Herald Sun quotes Holm.
She refuses to speculate why UFC opted for her instead of Miesha. Holm refuses to guess, but adds, "I don't really care too much of the why. I just want to make the best of the situation."