Holly Holm's hopes of regaining the UFC women's bantamweight championship could rest solely in current champion Miesha Tate's hands.
But a rematch at UFC 200 is a possibility, according to Yahoo Sports.
Dana White Says Ronda Rousey Will Return In 2016, But Ex-Champ Remains Silent
In a déjà vu all over again scenario, Tate is supposed to fight former champion Ronda Rousey sometime in November or December, depending on Rousey officially accepting the fight. That hasn't happened yet.
When Holm shocked Rousey last November with a second-round knockout at UFC 193 in Australia, UFC president Dana White announced that a rematch would take place on July 9.
Passing On Fight Against "Cyborg" Could Work Against Holly Holm
But Rousey ended up being neither physically or mentally ready to accept the rematch, so White relented to Holm's wishes and set up a fight with Tate at 196. When Tate choked out Holm for the title, White chastised Holm and her manager for not waiting for a rematch against Rousey that may never have happened.
Now, Tate is the one who doesn't want to wait for Rousey. Meanwhile UFC 200, which will feature a rematch between Nate Diaz and Connor McGregor in July, is expected to add a women's match, White recently told ESPN's SportsCenter via Yahoo Sports.
"You should expect a couple," White said. "There will be a couple women's fights at UFC 200. Actually, there will be two or three."
When pressed about a possible women's championship bout on the UFC 200 card, White answered, "Could be."
Tate is one of only two women's champions in the UFC. The other, strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, is scheduled to fight Claudia Gadelha on The Ultimate Fighter 23 on July 8, Yahoo Sports reported.
So Tate would be the one to hold a title fight if it were added to the card. And while she was interested in a match against Cris "Cyborg" Justino, Justino is scheduled to fight Leslie Smith at UFC 198.
Holm was offered a fight against Cyborg but turned it down in hopes of securing a rematch against Tate or Rousey. With Rousey noncommittal, Holm just might get her wish.
"With most other top contenders already lined up for other fights, if Tate does defend her belt at UFC 200, it would likely be in a rematch with Holly Holm, who is also currently without a fight."
For that to happen, White would have to agree to let Holm fight after he already said publicly how dumb she was not to wait for Rousey. A Holm-Tate fight at UFC 200 would recreate the UFC 196 bout, which White would have to assess whether that would be good for the UFC.
But if Holm were to win, that would reinstate White's dream rematch between Holm and Rousey ... but only if that's what Rousey wants.
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