UFC president Dana White has already announced that he plans on pitting former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey against the new champ Holly Holm at UFC 200 in July 2016. Holm, however, wants to be more active than that, and prefers to fight at least once in the interim.
Paige VanZant proved on Thursday night that White doesn’t need to rely on Rousey so much anymore. Although VanZant took the second loss of her career against Rose Namajunas, the fact that a 21-year-old women’s mixed martial artist was headlining a card is a testament to Rousey’s impact on the sport. Because Rousey was so dominant, and so popular, she’s helped create depth on UFC’s women’s roster.
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Fight fans are now much more aware of Holm, who was one of the greatest women’s boxers of all time, and still toiled in anonymity. They are aware of Miesha Tate, Rousey’s greatest rival in the UFC, and Amanda Nunes, someone many think will eventually become the dominant force in women’s MMA. And they even knew VanZant, who fought the No. 3-ranked straw weight in the world despite becoming legally allowed to drink this year.
None of these women approach Rousey’s stature in MMA, even after her brutal knockout loss. But they’re on a level high enough that the UFC shouldn’t paralyze their careers while Rousey heals up. Holm’s representatives want to fight Tate, and it’s hard to argue Tate hasn’t earned it. She has won four fights in a row since losing to Rousey in December 2013.
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“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,” Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez said. “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.”
Rousey could move on from the UFC soon, as she’s a major Hollywood celebrity these days and has a budding movie career. Letting Holm off the leash and letting her fight – and possibly defeat – Miesha Tate would generate interest and build up the victor. The UFC doesn’t need Rousey as much these days, so her stranglehold shouldn’t be so tight.
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