Holly Holm interested in rematch with Miesha Tate
Holly Holm is looking to run things back with Miesha Tate now that the former champ is making a comeback.
At UFC 196, Holm was looking to defend her bantamweight title against Tate, and early on, it appeared that would be the case. Her striking was too much but as the fight wore on Tate started to have more success. Then, in the fifth round, Tate got ahold of Holm’s neck and submitted her to become the new champion.
After the fight, Tate went on to lose her belt to Amanda Nunes, and then lost to Raquel Pennington and retired. Now, however, ahead of her comeback, Holm is interested in fighting Tate if she gets past Marion Reneau.
“My plan is to compete for the belt, so if that fight ends up being on the way there, then absolutely,” Holm said Tuesday on an ESPN+ Q&A hosted by Laura Sanko (h/t MMAJunkie). “I always like to avenge losses no matter what, so yes, I would like to do that, but I think sometimes you can get so fixated on one fight that you’re not focused on whatever is coming your way.”
“Whatever gets you to the belt, that’s my ultimate goal and it would be awesome if I could go through and do it all,” Holm said. “Avenge my loss (to Tate), then go to the belt.”
On paper, if Tate does beat Reneau, the rematch against Holly Holm does make sense. They are both big names and can easily headline a Fight Night card where the winner would also get a rematch with Amanda Nunes. Both women have been calling for a title shot and if they can beat the other, there is no question they will get the rematch as it would be a big fight for Nunes and a marketable one for the UFC.
