Holly Holm steps into the ring on Saturday in Puerto Rico chasing her fourth world title across different boxing weight divisions. The 44-year-old former UFC champion faces undefeated WBA lightweight titleholder Stephanie Han at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan this weekend. But as she prepares for one of her biggest comeback fights, Holm’s mind has drifted back to one of combat sports’ most iconic moments, and the rematch that never was.
Holly Holm Open to Ronda Rousey Rematch
In a recent interview with Damon Martin, Holm made clear she remains open to fighting Ronda Rousey again. “I don’t know if Ronda will ever fight again, but if she does, I won’t be shocked,” Holm said.
“She was an Olympian, she was a champion, and you don’t get to that point without having a passion for sports, with a passion for what you want to do. If she’s back feeling that, that’d be great. I don’t think it’ll happen, but if it does… if she comes back, I’m always hoping for a rematch, too. So you never know what’s going to happen with life.”
Rousey has been training recently and speculation is mounting about a potential comeback nearly a decade after her last fight. Holm understands that drive better than most. After achieving everything in boxing, then dominating MMA as a UFC champion, she herself stepped away and returned, proving that elite athletes often feel an itch to compete again.
What makes Holm‘s perspective especially pointed is her honest assessment of how Rousey handled her career’s darkest moment. After losing her UFC title to Holm via head kick knockout in 2015, Rousey lost again to Amanda Nunes in 2016 and essentially disappeared from public view.
“I think that Ronda definitely didn’t like how her career ended, but also she’s a lot responsible for that, because she pulled herself away,” Holm explained. “You see some of these champions that are reigning champions, they run into a hiccup and they at least face the crowd, face the camera, face the fans, face it. I believe there’s a little bit of a higher respect in that aspect.”
The fighter who’s spent her entire career chasing rematch opportunities for her own losses believes Rousey could still salvage her legacy, if she chooses to fight for the right reasons. “I think it definitely needs to be if she really wants to fight, not just because she wants it to be different,” Holm said, “because it won’t be different if she doesn’t truly actually just want to fight.”
“Martial arts fans and fight fans, they can be brutal, but also they’re fans. They’re fans of the sport and they realize that things happen, not everything’s always perfect. I think if she would have faced it differently – no judgment on it – but I think if she would have faced it differently, it probably wouldn’t have been maybe so negative as a whole in her own mind and how she felt, you know. If she wants to come back and make it right for her and feel better about it, and she’s got some itch in her that wants to get out and have a win… every athlete is going to feel that. If she does, then more power to her.”
Their first meeting at UFC 193 in Melbourne remains one of the most consequential upsets in sports history. Rousey entered the November 2015 fight as a 22-to-1 favorite, the heaviest odds ever placed on a UFC title fight. Yet Holm orchestrated a masterclass, controlling five rounds before delivering a head kick knockout 59 seconds into the second round. The event shattered records that seemed untouchable: 56,214 fans filled Etihad Stadium, the largest UFC crowd ever at that time, while over 1 million pay-per-views were purchased. The upset devastated Las Vegas bookmakers. For one night, Holm’s victory transcended sport, dominating sports coverage. Rousey spent that night in the hospital. She never granted the rematch.
For now, Holm’s focus is on Han. But if the sport’s greatest comeback story gets another chapter, Holm has already given her answer.