Ronda Rousey’s next title defense will come against an unexpected opponent when she faces former boxing world champion Holly Holm in the UFC 195 headliner on Jan. 2. The UFC women’s bantamweight champion announced the matchup on Friday morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” UFC 195 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. “She’s definitely my biggest challenge to date, so I’m super excited about it,” Rousey said. Rousey is coming off a 34-second shellacking of Bethe Correia at UFC 190. That victory improved the Olympic judoka to 12-0 as a professional, including six triumphs in the Octagon. All but one of “Rowdy’s” victories within the Las Vegas-based promotion have come inside of a round. Holm, meanwhile, is unbeaten nine professional outings. The former boxing titlist retired from the ring for good in 2013 and signed with the UFC after winning her first seven bouts. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative defeated Raquel Pennington via split decision in her debut before scoring a more decisive unanimous verdict against Marion Reneau in her sophomore outing at UFC Fight Night on July 15. "I prepare for a five-round war every time I get in there," Rousey said. "No one's easy until after you beat them, and with Holly Holm, she's the type that is ready to go 12 boxing rounds. She's not the average chick that I fight. She's the best striker I've ever fought, and 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 the fights are going to go, and that's why everybody buys them." UFC President Dana White had previously said that Miesha Tate was the division’s next No. 1 contender after Tate defeated Jessica Eye at UFC on Fox 16 on July 25. However, Rousey has already beaten Tate twice -- once in Strikeforce in 2012 and again in a rematch at UFC 168.
I have to say i am pretty shocked by this. What happened with Tate? and What happened with Cyborg? IMO this is some strange. It's too early for Holm IMO. and while I wont rule out she could win, I just somehow feel this fight is happening for other reasons.
i think it's a very interesting fight. ronda won't be able to just go in and knock her out like she did vs correia and davis. holm will pose problems if she can avoid the clinch and takedowns.
No kidding. If she had a lackluster win over Tate or Davis or Zingano, then I could see it. But she bored her way to wins over a sub .500 Pennington ánd a completely unknown in Reneau. I don't see the need to rush Holm into a Rousey fight.
Something happened. They just arent saying. Tate's manager found out just like we did. No call, no heads up, no nothing after Tate was promised the next fight. Funny thing is Tate is actually filming a movie right now with Holm and Cyborg.
It looks like it was first announced by Rousey during a GMA appearance today? If so, that explains it, great press that wouldn't happen if it was just Tate as expected.
They better hope they can sell it right. Again Holm's lackluster performance isnt going to get people excited. I think the tate fights could see pretty good. Especially if the promo was done right and the bad blood is still there.
We already called this. Rousey just doesn't have many sellable, potentially competitive, fights left. Holm is undefeated and brings her stellar boxing credentials to this fight. That makes it sellable. I think Rousey is smart and I think she is just going to go back to her A game and armbar Holm asap. However, should she try out her striking skills, Holm's chances increase greatly. That makes it potentially competitive.
Ronda won't box or grapple on purpose. She'll charge out of the gate and end Holm's night by whatever happens first. What I don't understand is why Holly Holm would agree to this fight now. Surely she nor her camp is delusional enough to think she can stay on her feet versus Rousey. I am little disappointed because I wanted to see Holm versus a top 5 opponent like Cat, Alexis Davis or Amanda Nunes.
They take the fight now because Holm could lose to someone else and never get the fight. At least that's how this works in boxing. With the vertical monopoly of the UFC, Holm probably had no choice.
Horrible at kicks? Never heard that before. Not just boxing, but she was also a kickboxer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyJmNaW3b8M
Holm looks like Amy Schummer on that poster . I think Rhonda will strike with Holm rather than go straight for an armbar or take down because with Rhonda it's not always just about winning. Rhonda really cares about improving her skills to flawless perfection so I think she'll really want to see where her striking lies by testing it against Holm's boxing skills. Hell, Rhonda working so much on her boxing is why she probably even had this fight made.
Yeah she had 3 kickboxing fights and got KTFO in one of them. Man just look at her kicks, they are amateur karate style.....stupid side kicks, slappy teeps with nothing on them. She's flexible and seems capable of a somewhat reasonable rounkick to the face, but talk of her being an elite MMA striker is way off the mark. Elite hands sure, very average kicking skills.
THe fact that they land, help keep her distance and she has seriously hurt people with them, completely proves otherwise.
Honestly after watching this, you continue to say her kicks sucks, i will just drop it because there is no arguing with a mad man. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gap-rM4CbLc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Of course. Joanna won in my mind. Yes I am a little bias but bias aside I believe she won by actually doing damage. Gadhela just held her, and stalled as much as she could. People say Gadhela won, because she had more "control". But to me it's B.S. Control ? That's like saying a soccer team that posseses the ball longer at the end should win. And not the one that actually, scored more goals, and had more chances. It's a fight. Should be judged on damage, not holding.
I really hope this means Tate and Nunes fight for a shot at the Holm-Rousey winner. I feel for Tate. Her fight with Eye was basically labeled a title eliminator and now the UFC pulls the carpet out from under Her.
White stood in the post press conference and said Tate was next right to her face. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://swf.tubechop.com/tubechop.swf?vurl=wZciTN1K4EA&start=122.58&end=146.54&cid=6690920"></param><embed src="http://swf.tubechop.com/tubechop.swf?vurl=wZciTN1K4EA&start=122.58&end=146.54&cid=6690920" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
You should definitely drop it man. So she lands a few shitty kicks on the button to some random scrubs and her kicking is suddenly elite? Try youtubing chicks with elite kicking skills like Lucia Rijker and then tell me Holm can kick. It's like night and day. Holm can punch, that's for sure. But her kicking is C-level.