Holly Holm, a former professional boxer and kickboxer, made history in MMA by defeating Ronda Rousey on November 14, 2015, at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia. Holm knocked out Rousey in the second round with a head kick, ending Rousey’s dominant run as the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. With that victory, Holm became the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, cementing her place in MMA history.
Ronda Rousey was the most dominant female fighter at the time, undefeated in MMA, and a former judo Olympian. Her loss to Holm shocked the MMA world and made Holm an instant star.
Dana White Criticizes Holm’s Team
UFC President Dana White revealed on The Jim Rome Show that Holm had the opportunity to immediately rematch Rousey for a “life-changing” payday, but her team turned it down.
“These are the same guys that had Holly Holm and in my opinion ruined her life,” White said. “She had the opportunity to rematch immediately Ronda Rousey and for unbelievable money. They turned it down and they said ‘we don’t want that fight. We’ll fight Miesha Tate for the same money we have now.’”
White added, “So big drama goes on between us all. I said so you want to fight the second-baddest woman in the world for the same money instead of fighting [Ronda Rousey]? [They said] ‘Yes, that’s what we want.’”
After declining the Rousey rematch, Holm fought Miesha Tate in March 2016 at UFC 196. White predicted that Holm would lose, saying:
“She’s going to lose by choke. She’s going to choke her out. That’s exactly what happened. For the same money instead of fighting Ronda for life-changing money that would have changed her life.” Holm lost via submission in the fifth round.
Thursday, LIVE from Las Vegas:
**SEE FULL SHOW SCHEDULE BELOW**
📻: @Westwood1Sports
📡: Sirius 161 / XM 206
📺: @PrimeVideo, @Roku, @SamsungTVPlus, @LGUS, @plex, @DIRECTV, @sling, @TCL_USA + @wfplustv https://t.co/opeQVsCbIg— Jim Rome (@jimrome) September 11, 2025
Following Tate, Holm faced top contenders including Bethe Correia, Germaine de Randamie, Amanda Nunes and Cat Zingano. While she remained a top competitor in the bantamweight division, she never regained the same momentum or mainstream attention she had after her win over Rousey.
Dana White sees this as a pivotal moment in Holm’s career. A rematch with Rousey could have elevated her financial earnings and further solidified her legacy as a UFC champion. Instead, choosing other fights shifted her path and arguably limited her peak earning potential.
