I let my guard down, and it cost me the fight.
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Following her shocking knockout of Ronda Rousey to win the UFC belt at UFC 193 in November, Holm had the option of waiting on the sidelines for “Rowdy” to return for a rematch.
Sure, all the talk in the fighting world was about Miesha Tate’s upset win over Holly Holm at UFC 196 Saturday, but there was another powerful athlete kicking down her opposition this weekend. Her first title-defense has yet to be made, but it boils down to either an immediate rematch with the Preacher’s Daughter or a third showdown with Ronda Rousey.
“I thought I had to be like a pit bull on a bone”, Tate said. Holm desperately tried to shake her off but to no avail as she conceded her title in her first UFC loss. Holly scrambled for the cage to help her get back to her feet, but Tate had her arms around Holm’s chin working for the choke when Holm stood up. When she found out that Tate had won, Ronda simply said: “Looks like I’ve got to get back to work”. It was hard to argue with Miesha’s surprise win and now we wonder if she’ll take on Ronda next! “Up until the London Games it was a bit of a taboo subject and people would be embarrassed to ask you about your disability or to chat to you about it”, Lucas, who was born without thumbs and only has the use of two fingers on both hands, told Reuters. Miesha Tate at UFC 196, many are wondering not about the future bantamweight champ, but the future of the former champ.
Does Ronda fight Tate now, instead of Holm??
As Tate and Holm entered the fifth round, many predicted Miesha would need to do something major to pull of the victory with several experts predicting Holly had won three of the four initial rounds should it come down to the judges’ decision. You know what, she’s still a legend from New Mexico, Albuquerque and you know what? Tate hung on desperately, climbed Holm’s back and sunk in her hooks. “I’ve fought many, many great strikers, and I’ve done very well with that”.
In a stunner, Tate came back from a late-round deficit to defeat Holm via rear-naked choke at 3:30 of the fifth round.
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As you might recall, White promised Tate a third fight against Rousey after beating Jessica Eye last July. She did everything that was asked, and went above and beyond the call of duty. Tate continues her aggression, but Holm peppers her with a stellar combination.
