Holly Holm Signs New UFC Deal, Rematch With Rousey Still Up In The Air
Holly Holm, Ultimate Fighting Championship women's bantamweight champion recently signed a multi-year contract extension with UFC, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The news was shared by UFC President Dana White.
As the next set of UFC bouts are coming, particularly UFC 197 and UFC 198, fans are already wondering whether a rematch between Holm and Ronda Rousey is being organized to be part of this year's UFC matches. Holm surprised UFC fans when she defeated long-time champion Rousey last November 14, 2015 after a series of well-timed strikes and a head kick to finish it off.
According to Dana White, however, they have yet to determine who Holm will go up against next. The report cited that the Holm and Rousey rematch was originally slated for UFC 200 which is going to happen sometime July, but as White said, this is still being worked out as he has not yet spoken to Rousey after her last fight.
Lenny Fresquez, Holm's manager, also said in the report that he would like to see Holm fight before her rematch with Rousey. He mentioned a few names such as Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes. With regards to this idea, White said that "it's possible."
In another report in Bleacher Report, Holm said during an interview with MMA Hour that she thinks that her next fight, if it is going to be done sooner rather later may not be a rematch. She added, "They haven't really announced anything exact yet, so I guess we'll just wait and see how the cards unfold. But I'm not going anywhere. I'll fight again, hopefully sooner rather than later."
In the same report, Fresquez also said that UFC was going to make an announcement later this week about Holm's next fight, which he also hoped to be sooner rather than later.
Details about Holm's contract were not revealed by White or Fresquez, but according to the LA Times report, the contract extension is supposed to cover eight fights.
