RONDA ROUSEY RELINQUISHED her UFC women’s bantamweight title last night but she probably won’t have to wait too long for an opportunity to regain it.
Rousey lost to Holly Holm via second-round KO in the main event at UFC 193 at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, in front of a record UFC attendance of 56,214.
The defeated former champion was taken to hospital immediately afterwards so she wasn’t available to give he reaction to the result at the post-event press conference.
When asked about what’s next for both Rousey and Holm, UFC president Dana White seemed keen on another fight between the pair, while acknowledging that the new champion’s shock victory has made the title picture more complicated, with Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino also expected to join the 135lbs division in 2016.
“The rematch makes a lot of sense,” said White. “I think the rematch is what people would want to see. I mean, it changes a lot of things now. Cyborg fight, some other stuff we’re working on, so… yeah.”
Holm also admitted that she’s willing to give Rousey an opportunity to regain a belt that she successfully defended on six occasions before coming unstuck last night.
The 34-year-old former world champion boxer said: “I think a rematch makes sense, for sure. I’ve been on the losing side of a fight and I wanted the rematch. I wanted to avenge my loss.
“With a champion like Ronda, who has gone out of her way, above and beyond, to do great things, absolutely she deserves a rematch. I don’t look at this belt and think I’ve made it. I think I saw things that I need to do. I think a rematch is kind of like unspoken common sense to me, I guess.”
