New UFC Women's Bantamweight champion Holly Holm would not have any matches for the next six months. Her next fight is a rematch with Ronda Rousey on July 9, 2016, in Las Vegas, says UFC President Dana White.
Lenny Fresquez, manager of Holm, met with UFC officials on Monday to propose defending the title she grabbed from Rousey in an unexpected win on Nov. 14 in Melbourne. Fresquez wants Holm to fight Miesha Tate, a top contender, while waiting for Rousey's six-month medical suspension to end, reports LA Times.
The manager points out that Holm is used to being active, and Tate deserves a shot at the title. But Fresquez admits it's not a matter he could decide. He says Rousey may not be ready yet to fight in July, adding, "She took a severe beating and I don't think it's in her best interest to take the next fight so fast."
However, he has been told that Rousey is ready, although Fresquez is unsure. Or he could be just using it as a strategy to deflate the former champ's already sagging ego following her stunning loss in the second round to Holm.
White does not share Fresquez's opinion about Rousey's ability to return to the octagon ring in fighting form. He says, "Ronda is the fiercest competitor I have ever met in my life ... She will overcome it and be back." White, who admits to Rousey being one of his closest friends, says that since her loss, they talk around seven times daily.
Holm's kick on Rousey's side of the face was so hard that some of her teeth are still unstable that she could not eat an apple in three to six months, the ex-champ says.
However, she agrees with White that she will return to the octagon ring. "I need to come back. I need to beat this chick. Who knows if I'm going to pop my teeth out or break my jaw or rip my lip open. I have to f***ing do it," quotes ESPN Magazine in an exclusive cover article.
She admits that the Nov. 14 bout was "an embarrassing representation of myself," blaming the first round hits to failure to think clearly and the shocking knockout the next round. After the loss, she left her phone at home and it was boyfriend Travis Browne who answered texts from family, trainer and agent as the two drove 15 hours to Texas from Los Angeles upon her return to the U.S. from Australia.