When Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey, almost everybody was surprised because Rousey seemed unbeatable before that fight. Holm was scheduled to take on Miesha Tate after the win, and she was a massive favorite, considering that Rousey had already beaten Tate twice before. As we all know, Tate choked Holm out in the fifth round of the fight and pulled off the major upset.
Holm appeared to be winning the fight prior to getting choked out. Because of this, Holm feels as though she deserves a rematch against Tate, and she may not be wrong. The expectation is that Tate will take on Rousey in her first title defense, but she said that it is not set in stone.
Hours after UFC 196 ended, UFC president Dana White was speaking with the media and said that he expects Rousey to be Tate's next opponent. White said that even before the fight, he had made up his mind that whoever won the title fight would be defending their championship against Rousey next.
Tate is not so convinced, though, as she said it is not set in stone that she will get a third shot at Rousey. That is an interesting statement, considering that White seemed pretty set on the fact that Rousey will take on Tate next. The only thing that seems left up in the air is when the two will fight, with UFC 200 being the most speculated possibility.
As for Holm, it shouldn't come as a surprise that she wants a rematch and feels she deserves one. The 34-year-old bantamweight has already started working on her choke defense and says that she could start training now if she had to. Holm said she is "heartbroken" by the outcome of her first title defense, but she is also confident that she could get the title back if given another chance, saying "I'm not going to let (Tate) choke me out again."
Holm will likely get another shot at the title at some point, but it doesn't seem very likely that it will be Tate's next fight. She is confident that Tate would be open to a rematch because "she's a tough champion," but that will likely require Tate beating Rousey first, something that she has yet to do in her career.
