Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey will have their rematch on July 9 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White said Wednesday, throwing cold water on Holm's manager's comments saying the reigning champion wanted to take on Miesha Tate first.
White appeared to blow off Lenny Fresquez's words Tuesday after the manager said he doubted whether Rousey would be ready to take on Holm, who badly beat the former UFC mixed martial arts champion in a second-round knockout in
Australia on Nov. 14, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"I'm not sure Ronda will be ready for a July fight," Fresquez said. "She took a severe beating and I don't think it's in her best interest to take the next fight so fast. They told me she's been ready and cleared, but . . . ."
Fresquez said Holm is ready to fight now and wants to take on Tate as her first title defense bout.
"Holly's used to staying active," her manager told the Times. "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."
White responded sarcastically to Fresquez's comments about Rousey while confirming the rematch will be first.
"We're real concerned with his opinion," White said dismissively, according to the newspaper. "Ronda's never lost a fight. She will overcome it and be back. She got clipped, stayed in there and tried to fight through it. She told me she was in there, she was rocked, and she'd never been rocked like that before. And the things that were going on in her head — what she was doing — she'd never been in that situation."
In an interview posted Tuesday by ESPN, Rousey declared that she will fight Holm again even though she appeared to still be smarting from the loss.
"I need to come back," she said. "I need to beat this chick. Who knows if I'm going to pop my teeth out or break my jaw or rip my lip open. I have to f***ing do it."
Holm told The New York Times last month that she knows Rousey will be more than determined to get the UFC belt back.
"She's going to come back," she said. "She's mad that it's not her title anymore. I've got to be twice as ready as last time."
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