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It’s official: A Ronda Rousey rematch with Holly Holm is set for UFC 200 next year. UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday that Holm will defend her championship title for the first time against Rousey at the new Las Vegas Arena, tentatively scheduled for July 9, 2016.
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“I’m not sure Ronda will be ready for a July fight,” Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez told the Los Angeles Times. “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…”
Rousey lost for the first time in her MMA fighting career to Holm in a second-round knockout last month. According to the Sporting News, the fight set a UFC attendance record, drawing 56,214 fans to UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia.
Fans have wondered if Holm would fight someone else, such as top-ranked contender Miesha Tate, before giving Rousey a chance to reclaim the UFC women’s bantamweight championship belt. Rousey is scheduled to film two movies in 2016, including a “Road House” remake, and is on a six-month medical suspension from Ultimate Fighting for injuries inflicted by Holm.
Rousey, 28, told ESPN The Magazine recently that she still has a few unstable teeth from Holm’s final kick to her face.
“It might be three to six months before I can eat an apple, let alone take an impact,” she said.
The Sporting News reports Rousey plans to retire if she loses to Holm again.
“I guess it’s all going to be determined by what happens in the rematch,” Rousey told ESPN. “Either I’ll win and keep going or I won’t and I’ll be done with everything.”
via Syracuse