Dana White: Holly Holm should have waited for Ronda Rousey rather than fight Miesha Tate
Miesha Tate sinks the chokehold on Holly Holm that led to a submission in the fifth round of their women’s bantamweight championship fight at UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
UFC President Dana White says he thought all along that Holly Holm should have waited to fight again until Ronda Rousey was ready. Holm didn’t want to wait most of 2016 while Rousey made movies, so she took a bout against Miesha Tate at UFC 196 on Saturday night.
Holm lost that fight as well the UFC bantamweight title she earned by upsetting Rousey in November.
White was in I-told-you-so mode during an appearance on ESPN’s “Russillo & Kanell,” saying he feels sorry for Holm and blames her longtime manager, Lenny Fresquez, for what he thinks was a horrible decision.
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“The sad part about that is, listen, he’s an old boxing guy who thinks he’s smart, and he’s not,” White said. “It’s one of those things. I feel bad about it. I feel bad for Holly. I don’t know if Holly really knows what she lost. I think she has so much faith in the people that surround her, she feels like, ‘Well, they got me this far.’
“We had this meeting, and Holly wasn’t even in it. Holly, that’s your life. You should be in that meeting. Don’t leave it to these people. Anyway, Holly made a lot of money. She accomplished great things, she beat Ronda Rousey. But it could have been so much bigger for her, and the sad part is, I don’t think she even knows it.”
Fresquez told ESPN that Holm calls the shots when it comes to deciding which fights to take.
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“It was a team decision, and Holly is the boss,” he said. “She wanted to fight, and she got her wish. I think she’ll fight Miesha or Ronda next. That’s my personal feeling, but who knows what the UFC has cooking? Holly was dominant in that fight against Miesha except for the second and fifth round. She paid for it. Hats off to Miesha for capitalizing.
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Conor McGregor, left, and Nate Diaz exchange punches during their welterweight fight at UFC 196 on March 5. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times )
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Nate Diaz takes down Conor McGregor during their non-title welterweight bout at UFC 196 in Las Vegas on March 5. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times )
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Nate Diaz grapples with Conor McGregor during their welterweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Nate Diaz takes down Conor McGregor during their UFC 196 fight on Saturday night.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Nate Diaz celebrates his win over Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Nate Diaz celebrates his win over Conor McGregor after their non-title welterweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate goes for a single-leg takedown against Holly Holm during their women’s bantamweight title bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Holly Holm, bottom, tries to fend off Miesha Tate during their women’s bantamweight title fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Holly Holm lands a big left against Miesha Tate during their UFC 196 women’s bantamweight championship fight.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Holly Holm, left, and Miesha Tate trade kicks during their women’s bantamweight title fight at UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate takes down Holly Holm during their UFC 196 women’s bantamweight title fight. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate sinks the chokehold on Holly Holm that led to a submission in the fifth round of their women’s bantamweight championship fight at UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate springs to her feet after defeating Holly Holm by submission in the women’s bantamweight championship fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate celebrates after defeating Holly Holm at UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Gian Villante, left, tries to block a kick by Ilir Latifi during their bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Gian Villante, left, and Ilir Latifi grapple during their light-heavyweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Gian Villante, left, tries to prevent a takedown by Ilir Latifi during their light-heavyweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko tries to land a knee against Amanda Nunes during their women’s bantamweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko, left, sends Amanda Nunes reeling during their UFC 196 women’s bantamweight bout.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko, left, tries to fend off the attack by Amanda Nunes in a women’s bantamweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Amanda Nunes has the upper hand during her UFC 196 bout against Valentina Shevchenko.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Amanda Nunes, left, has a kick blocked by Valentina Shevchenko during their UFC 196 women’s bantamweight fight.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko, right, lands a right during her UFC 196 bout against Amanda Nunes.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Valentina Shevchenko, bloody face and all, is ready for more action during her UFC 196 women’s bantamweight fight against Amanda Nunes.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko was able to fend off the attacks by Amanda Nunes to win the women’s bantamweight bout by unanimous decision at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson, left, lands an overhand right against Tom Lawlor during UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson works from the top against Tom Lawlor during their light-heavyweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson, left, and Tom Lawlor trade blows during their light-heavyweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson takes down Tom Lawlor during their light-heavyweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson completes a takedown agianst Tom Lawlor during their UFC 196 fight.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson raises his arms after defeating Tom Lawlor in a light-heavyweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Brandon Thatch punches Siyar Bahadurzada during their bout at UFC 196.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Brandon Thatch lands a kick against Siyar Bahadurzada during their UFC 196 bout.
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Siyar Bahadurzada celebrates after defeating Brandon Thatch during UFC 196.
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Vitor Miranda kicks Marcelo Guimaraes during their UFC 196 bout.
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Marcelo Guimaraes, left, and Vitor Miranda trade punches in the middle of the octagon during their UFC 196 bout.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Nordine Taleb celebrates after defeating Erick Silva at UFC 196 on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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Darren Elkins (top) slams Chas Skelly to the canvas during their UFC 196 bout on Saturday night.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Diego Sanchez, left, follows through after punching Jim Miller during their bout at UFC 196.
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Jim Miller lands a kick against Diego Sanchez during their UFC 196 bout in Las Vegas.
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Julian Erosa attempts a kick against Teruto Ishihara during their bout at UFC 196.
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Teruto Ishihara sends Julian Erosa to the canvas before winning by a technical knockout in the second round of their UFC 196 bout.
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Jason Saggo celebrates after defeating Justin Salas at UFC 196.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
“What happens next is the UFC’s decision. All I can speak to are Holly’s wishes. Holly wants to fight Miesha right away. She wants to fight Ronda Rousey. Even with the title, a fight between Miesha and Rousey doesn’t have the glamour a fight with Holly and Ronda does. Yeah, Holly lost. She made a mistake, but she’ll learn from it. Everyone saw she’s a warrior.”
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Actually White has already said what’s happening next -- and it’s not going to be Rousey-Holm II.
“I think that Ronda now will fight Miesha Tate for the title,” White said on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after Saturday’s fight. “That’s what’s going to happen. That’s what I said before this fight even happened.”
Chuck Schilken is a sports reporter on the Fast Break team. He spent more than 18 years with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports Department in a variety of roles. Before joining The Times, he worked for more than a decade as a sports reporter and editor at newspapers in Virginia and Maryland.
