It’s expected that Holly Holm will defend her bantamweight title in an instant rematch against Ronda Rousey at UFC 200 in July. “The Preacher’s Daughter” knocked Rousey out with a brutal head kick at UFC 193, and it’s expected that “Rowdy” will be out of action for the foreseeable future.
“It might be three to six months before I can eat an apple, let alone take an impact,” the former champion said to People Magazine earlier this month.
Holm, who holds multiple world titles in boxing, isn’t used to such long layoffs and would prefer to fight again before July. The 34-year-old fielded questions from reporters at a UFC 194 media scrum.
“Eight months between fights is a long time,” Holm said. “Maybe not for some, but in boxing I used to fight four times a year for title fights. I was very active. This year is three fights in a year. I still feel like it’s active. To go eight months without one, we’re not even averaging two a year at that rate. So it’s kind of like, man that’s a really long time from now.”
Holm’s manager, Lenny Fresquez, recently angled for a fight with Miesha Tate, but UFC president Dana White sarcastically dismissed his plea in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.
While the newly crowned champion would prefer to defend her title before UFC 200, Holm says she’s willing to meet the UFC’s demands and “go with the flow” if need be.
“I’ll embrace it if that’s the next fight,” Holm said of a Rousey rematch. “If I get a fight before then, then that’s great. I like to go with the flow. I don’t want to force anything. I don’t like anything to feel like it’s having to push. I want to feel like it’s flowing. I like to kind of go with it. Ride the wave, I guess you’d say.”
(Transcriptions via MMA Fighting)
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