As the year draws to a close, it offers us a great opportunity to take a look at the state of the UFC’s roster, and what we can expect in the upcoming months. Today, we’re going to be looking at the UFC Womens Bantamweight division in 2016.
Earlier this year, the MMA world received a moment that now seems forever etched into the history of our sport. The image of Ronda Rousey having her consciousness being blasted from her body with Holly Holm’s kick to the head isn’t one easily forgotten, especially when it had the ramifications and implications that it did.
In what seemed a throwback to the MMA days of old, where one style would be pitted against another to see which worked, the Judo practitioner from Santa Monica couldn’t work her magic against the boxer from Albuquerque.
Rousey, previously undefeated and undisputed ruler of Womens Bantamweight, having her crown unceremoniously ripped from her by the ‘Preachers Daughter’ set the tone for an exciting (and for the division – unprecedented) 2016.
Since their bout at UFC 193, it’s been stated by UFC brass that the next step is a rematch to be held at mega event UFC 200. It’s likely that Holm-Rousey II is the biggest fight the company can make at present, so it’s no surprise they’re looking to combine the two.
The downside to that, is that UFC 200 is set to be held in July, giving the new champion a long time to wait before getting to defend her title.
“Eight months between fights is a long time,” Holm said in a media scrum at UFC 194 earlier this month. “Maybe not for some, but in boxing I used to fight four times a year for title fights. I was very active. This year is three fights in a year. I still feel like it’s active. To go eight months without one, we’re not even averaging two a year at that rate. So it’s kind of like, man that’s a really long time from now.”
In spite of the UFC’s ‘200’ aspirations, Holm and her management have mentioned Miesha Tate (#2) as a suitable candidate for a fight in the meantime.
Tate was actually set to fight ex-champion Rousey at UFC 193, before she was unceremoniously dumped from the bout live on television to be replaced by Holm herself. Since then, Tate’s relationship with the UFC has been somewhat rocky, and the fighter has even gone so far as to mention retirement.
It’s unlikely that the UFC will grant Holm’s request for a bout before July. The company knows that Holm-Rousey II is ‘the money fight’, and have a precedent for attempting to preserve those contests at the expense of a wait.
This puts Tate into an awkward position. Last seen beating Jessica Eye in July, if Tate elected to wait for the result of Holm and Rousey to get her title shot, then it’s more than likely she’d be out of the Octagon for well over a year.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Tate could face Amanda Nunes (#4) in the interim to solidify a title contender, but Tate has repeatedly voiced her displeasure at having to face top quality opponents repeatedly without getting the Rousey fight. It’s yet to be seen how the issue will work out, but with five months until UFC 200, one imagines the issue has a few twists and turns yet.
Also in the rankings is Cat Zingano, who hasn’t been seen since February of this year, when she lost to Rousey in a then-record 14 seconds. Zingano is immensely popular amongst fans, fighting with grit and passion, but her absence points to her current mindset as opposed to her lack of options.
With her husband taking his own life, making her a single mother, Zingano has commitments and issues outside of the Octagon that perhaps will keep her from strapping on the gloves for a while yet.
2016 presents an exciting proposition for Womens Bantamweight. It’s the first time that the weight class hasn’t had superstar Ronda Rousey at it’s head, and some pundits wonder how that’ll affect PPV sales and interest. With the much quieter and more docile Holm leading the charge as champion into the rematch however, it’s clear 135lbs is in good hands.
Prediction for UFC Womens Bantamweight division in 2016: Holm defeats Rousey at UFC 200 in a dominant fashion, causing the challenger to retire from the sport.
