When you’re as dominant as UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (12-0), finding opponents gets tough for your employer.
As normal as it has become to find fault with the promotion’s matchmaking sometimes, the recent decision to slot undefeated MMA fighter and former Legacy FC women’s bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm (9-0) opposite Rousey at the UFC 195 pay-per-view on January 2 came from straight out of left field for most people, including UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.
Rogan seemed to take issue with decision, feeling that No. 4-ranked woman Amanda Nunes was a more fearsome competitor for “Rowdy.”
“That Holly Holm fight. I don’t think that’s smart. I would have gone with Amanda Nunes before Holly Holm,” Rogan said on his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast (via MMA Fighting) last weekend. “Amanda Nunes looked like a badass when she knocked out Sara McMann. That’s a more dangerous fighter. A more marketable fighter.”
This is true. While Holm has conquered Marion Reneau and Raquel Pennington by decision in 2015, Nunes torched veterans Shayne Baszler and, most recently, former title challenger Sara McMann earlier this month.
Nunes victories are a hell of a lot more convincing, but one advantage in terms of marketability that Holm possesses is a zero in the loss column. Like we saw in the case of No. 1 contender Bethe Correia, expect a boatload of footage of previous head kick knockouts delivered by “The Preacher’s Daughter.”
Suffice it to say, no promo, nor amount of talk, could deter Rousey — who plans on filming another movie after her next fight. She’s simply in her own class, while the rest of the division pales in comparison, said Rogan.
“I just think, honestly, the real problem is that there’s a lack of talent.”
