Holly Holm Requests Miesha Tate Rematch, Says ‘I’m Not Going To Let You Choke Me Out Again’
New UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate successfully played the role of spoiler at this past weekend’s UFC 196, as she choked out Holly Holm in the fifth and final round of their championship fight.
Before the fight, many questioned if Holm deciding to fight Tate instead of waiting for Ronda Rousey to return was the right move. Well, for now at least, it was the wrong move, and it looks like Miesha Tate will be fighting Rousey for the third time later this year.
After Tate defeated Holm, Ronda Rousey, who isn’t expected to return to action until November, texted UFC president Dana White, and told him that she’s going to get back to work, meaning that she’s going to begin preparing for a third fight with Tate.
We’re still eight-months away from November, and Holly Holm is hoping that Miesha Tate will defend her newly-won bantamweight championship at least once before then, because she wants an immediate rematch.
In a recent interview, Holm talked about her loss to Tate, saying that she’s absolutely heartbroken. But she also said that she’s completely healthy, and that she’s ready to get back in the gym.
Holm also made it very clear that she wants another crack at Tate, and she promised, if the two were to fight again, that she wouldn’t get choked out at second time.
“I want a rematch. Miesha’s been around a long time. She’s a tough champion so I’m sure she’ll want to take the fight so let’s do it.
“I gave you a shot, give me a shot. I’m not going to let you choke me out again.”
Before the Holm vs. Tate fight was made, UFC president Dana White made it very clear that he thought that Holm should wait until Ronda Rousey decided to return to fight again. But, Holm’s management team kept pushing for a fight with Miesha Tate.
Now Tate is in the same situation that Holm was in. She could wait until November to fight Ronda Rousey, or she could defend her title against Holm in a rematch before then. As of right now, it looks like Tate is going to wait for Rousey to return.
Some are suggesting that the UFC should just do the Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey rematch anyway, with the idea that, because they’re both coming off of losses, neither of them should get a title shot, and the rematch will be a number-one contender’s fight, where the winner would get a crack at Miesha Tate.
If Tate does actually wait to fight Rousey, then Holm will likely get the winner of that fight. That is if she decides to sit on the sidelines for over a year, and not risk losing one more time before Tate vs. Rousey 3 takes place.
Holm, who is in her mid-30s, probably wants to stay as active as she can, because she probably won’t be an active fighter in the next five or six years. So, sitting around for a year and waiting for Tate and Rousey to fight probably isn’t something that she’d be willing to do.
As of this writing, the Tate vs. Rousey fight hasn’t been made official. In fact, Tate doesn’t even have an idea of who, or when she will be fighting next. There’s been some talk of putting her against Cat Zingano, who holds a victory over her. But Zingano also lost to Rousey in just 14 seconds. So if Zingano were to defeat Tate again, then Rousey would be coming back to beat someone who she already beat without breaking a sweat.
It’ll be interesting to see what Tate and the UFC decide to do while they’re waiting for Rousey to make her return. Having Tate and Holm face each other again in a few months wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. But the UFC is probably looking to keep Tate on the sidelines until Rousey decides to fight again.
[Featured image via Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images]
