Ronda Rousey announces next title defense against Holly Holm
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her belt against undefeated former professional boxer Holly Holm on Jan. 2 at MGM Grand.
Rousey announced the bout, which will serve as the main event of UFC 195, during an appearance on “Good Morning America” on Friday morning.
“Jan. 2nd I’ll be fighting Holly Holm, who’s the most decorated striker we have in all of mixed martial arts,” Rousey said in breaking the news on the show. “Not the women’s division, not the bantamweight division. A 19-time boxing champion, Holly Holm was the Ring Magazine pound-for-pound fighter of the year, and definitely my biggest challenge to date.”
Holm is 9-0 as a professional in mixed martial arts, including 2-0 since signing with the UFC. She is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Marion Reneau in July.
Rousey is 12-0 and has successfully defended the UFC belt six consecutive times.
Only once in her career has an opponent made it out of the first round. She knocked out previously unbeaten Bethe Correia in just 34 seconds on Aug. 1.
“I prepare for a five-round war every time I get in there,” Rousey said, whose last three fights have lasted a combined 64 seconds.
“Nobody’s easy until after you beat them. With Holly Holm, she’s the type that’s ready to go 12 boxing rounds. She’s not the average chick that I’d fight. I mean, she’s the best striker I’ve ever fought and the striking is something I learned much later in my career. So, I don’t ever expect fights to be easy and fast.
“No one knows exactly how fast the fights are going to go, and that’s why everybody buys them.”
UFC president Dana White previously announced Las Vegan Miesha Tate would be next in line to fight Rousey. Tate has already lost to Rousey twice, once in a Strikeforce title bout and once for the UFC belt in December 2013.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.
