UFC president Dana White has reignited a long-standing debate in MMA history, claiming that Holly Holm’s management made a costly mistake by turning down an immediate rematch with Ronda Rousey following Holm’s stunning knockout victory at UFC 193.
Holm shocked the world in November 2015 when she ended Rousey’s unbeaten streak with a head-kick knockout instantly becoming one of the UFC’s biggest stars. According to White, the UFC offered Holm a massive payday to face Rousey again in what would have been one of the sport’s biggest rematches. Instead, Holm’s team, led by her longtime manager Lenny Fresquez, opted to defend her bantamweight title against Miesha Tate at UFC 196 in March 2016.
Unfortunately Holm was submitted by Tate in UFC 196, losing her title just four months after capturing it. Rousey later returned to fight Tate for the belt, and the much-anticipated Holm–Rousey rematch never materialized. White has not minced words about his feelings on the situation. Speaking in interviews, he described the decision as one that “ruined her life,” stressing that Holm could have made “life-changing money” if she had fought Rousey again instead of risking the title against Tate.
“These are the same guys that had Holly Holm and in my opinion ruined her life,” White told The Jim Rome Show. “She had the opportunity to rematch immediately Ronda Rousey and for unbelievable money. They turned it down and they said ‘we don’t want that fight. We’ll fight Miesha Tate for the same money we have now.’”
At that moment, Ronda Rousey stood as one of the UFC’s biggest superstars, and her defeat was widely regarded as one of the most stunning upsets in the sport’s history. According to Dana White, the promotion immediately pushed to secure a rematch to build on the massive attention generated by the first fight, but Holm’s team ultimately chose a different path. “So big drama goes on between us all,” White said. “I said so you want to fight the second-baddest woman in the world for the same money instead of fighting [Ronda Rousey]? [They said] ‘Yes, that’s what we want.’ “I told them in that meeting, ask my matchmakers, Lorenzo Fertitta, I said she’s going to lose by choke. She’s going to choke her out. That’s exactly what happened. For the same money instead of fighting Ronda for life-changing money that would have changed her life.”
Holm’s team however, defended the move at the time, saying the champion was not motivated solely by money and wanted to stay active rather than waiting on Rousey’s return. “Holly wants to fight. She’s not sitting on the sidelines,” Fresquez told Fox Sports in 2016. Holly Holm’s first title defense against Miesha Tate was a tough fight that went back and forth. But in the fifth round, Tate locked in a rear-naked choke, and Holm had to tap. That loss cost her the bantamweight belt. Holm later fought in three more UFC title fights, but she was never able to win another championship. In early 2025, she asked for her release from the UFC.
After leaving, Holm returned to boxing, the sport where she first made her name, signing with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions to continue her career. Ronda Rousey, on the other hand, didn’t fight for more than a year after losing to Holm. She finally came back in a title fight against Amanda Nunes, but was knocked out in the first round. That fight ended up being the last of her UFC career.
