All of the talk about Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey surrounds a potential rematch, but Holm may have her eyes on another fight first.
Holm’s manager, Lenny Fresquez, says they like to have Holm fight frequently. That means they would want the current women’s bantamweight champion to fight before Rousey is ready for a return to the octagon in July.
“Holly’s used to staying active,” Fresquez told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re from the old school, and we believe the No. 1 contender is there for a reason. … [Tate] deserves a shot, but it’s not for me to decide.”
Tate is Miesha Tate, who has lost twice to Rousey but has become the No. 1 contender since winning four in a row. Tate was furious that she was passed up by Holm for another shot at Rousey, but it’s clear Holm deserved it.
The UFC may not want to book a date for Holm and risk having her lose prior to a rematch with Rousey, which would generate a ton of public interest. Holm’s camp isn’t worried about those risks, however.
“We’d like to fight Miesha. We understand there are risks, but Holly’s a dominant champion, and she wants to fight the best. Right now, Miesha is the best,” Fresquez told the Times’ Lance Pugmire.
You have to admire their attitude. The UFC probably won’t let Holm fight prior to a rematch with Rousey because there isn’t much to gain with that, but just that Holm is willing to challenge herself is awesome.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Holm was eager to face Rousey, who was the toughest female fighter, and embraced that challenge. She’s fought 38 pro boxing matches, four kickboxing matches, and 10 professional MMA fights. The girl just loves to fight. Maybe it would be best for the UFC to let her continue doing her thing.
