Without Ronda Rousey as the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion, the division finds itself with a plethora of new opportunities and options. While many of us are still in shock after Holly Holm, a 12-1 underdog, dethroned champion Ronda Rousey with a stunning head kick KO, there is plenty of discussion to be had in regards to where the division may go from here.
The call for an immediate rematch between Holm and Rousey is a popular request for many Rousey fans; UFC president Dana White sees this as a logical outcome as well. However, there are several reasons for this not to happen. First of all, many of us care for the well-being of Ronda Rousey and feel that the backlash (both physical and emotional) experienced in her knockout loss is not something that can be overcome quickly.
MMAFighting asked Daniel Cormier to chime in on this topic and he said, “The improvements Ronda needs to make will take much longer than the six-month break she’s anticipating. She needs a year or so.” Holly Holm didn’t just beat Ronda Rousey inside Etihad Stadium, she completely dismantled her and showed the 55,214 in attendance that she was the better technical fighter.
Like Daniel said, Ronda needs at least a year to work on the glaring weaknesses of her game that were exploited by the Jackson-Winklejohn fighter.
Another popular reason to avoid an immediate rematch is for the chance to see new fights. Ronda Rousey has a limited list of interesting match ups thanks to her dominant career. Outside of Holly Holm and the ubiquitous Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino match up, there really isn’t any buzz around a Cat Zingano rematch, a third fight with Miesha Tate, or perhaps new contenders like Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes. With that said, Holly Holm matches up well against all of these fighters, and now that Holms’s stock has risen insurmountably, these match ups make a lot of sense. Holly Holm may not ever reach the superstar status that Ronda Rousey has, but over time she just might.
Either way, a Rousey/Holm rematch would be much bigger and better if it took place a year from now after Ronda has tightened her game up. A comeback fight for Rousey isn’t off the table either; perhaps we could see Rousey take on Miesha Tate for a third time, or knock off another contender in an attempt to showcase the improvements she needs to warrant a Holly Holm rematch.
Times are interesting in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division, but it’s safe to say that the division has never had this much excitement and buzz around it before. There are a lot of interesting match ups that can be made for Holly Holm, and even though a rematch with Ronda Rousey is a big one, the division would benefit greatly if that rematch took place later rather than sooner. Now is the perfect time to highlight some of the division’s top contenders like Julianna Pena, and Amanda Nunes while giving some of the more well-known names like Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano to fight for contention.
Match Ups To Make
- Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate – For Holly’s first title defense, Miesha Tate represents a worthy, yet legitimate title challenger. Tate is the fighter that has always been at the top of the bantamweight division, but up until now she has never had the chance to become the champion with Rousey holding the strap. With a new queen at the top of the division, Tate now has the chance to achieve her title aspirations.
- Cat Zingano vs. Julianna Pena – Zingano has been out of action since her quick defeat at the hands of Ronda Rousey, but with wins over Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate under her belt, she has a strong claim on the number one contenders spot. However, due to her inactivity, a title eliminator fight between her and Julianna Pena would be perfect to produce the number one contender not named Ronda Rousey. Pena has racked up two straight wins since winning The Ultimate Fighter 18, and has been on a tear since returning from injury.
- Amanda Nunes vs. Bethe Correia – In the dark horse spot, Bethe Correia, also coming off of a first round defeat to Ronda Rousey, needs a rebound fight to see just where she stands in the bantamweight division. Amanda Nunes on the other hand is shooting up the ranks after finishes over Sara McMann and Shayna Baszler. The winner of this fight could produce the next big dark horse in the division.
- Ronda Rousey – Her exact position right now is a question mark and is most likely going to be a question mark for a while. The immediate rematch with Holly Holm is on the table, but if not, she’s going to sit out awhile. When she comes back, it’ll most likely be against the number one contender, or whoever is champion at the time.
