Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm's next title defense is not against Ronda Rousey, but the former titleholder said the rematch will happen this 2016.
Last November 2015, Holm stunned the world by dominating Rousey and knocking her out in the second round of their title fight at UFC 193.
Following the fight, a lot of people worried about Rousey, given the punishment she received from Holm, and how the defeat, which was the first in her professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career, would affect her.
After the title bout, UFC president Dana White and Holm had the same thought and that was to give Rousey an immediate rematch.
But because of the damage Rousey received from the fight, she had a medical suspension that would sideline her for some time.
This paved the way for another contender, Miesha Tate, to have a shot at the title this March when she challenges Holm at UFC 197's co-main event.
The original scheduled rematch for Holm and Rousey was at UFC 200 this July, but with Rousey not ready to return to the Octagon by that time, Tate instantly became the next challenger.
Despite Holm and Tate fighting for the belt this March, Rousey is not out of the title picture and in an interview with TMZ said she will again fight for the belt this year.
"It's sometime later in the year. They haven't told me an exact date or location. It's a decision we're all going to make together. I'm kind of waiting to hear from them on what options they're going to give me," Rousey said.
Before losing to Holm, the 28-year-old former champion dominated the division and was unbeaten in 12 professional fights against the best MMA fighters in the world.
But Holm had different plans for Rousey and in the end, was the one who walked away with still an unblemished record at 10–0.
