MMA
Dana White Claims Holly Holm’s Management Cost Her Life-Changing Money by Refusing Ronda Rousey Rematch
The UFC has witnessed its fair share of shocking upsets. From BJ Penn dethroning Matt Hughes at welterweight to Michael Bisping knocking out Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title on just 17 days’ notice. But none shook the sport quite like Holly Holm’s stunning knockout of Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in 2015. In front of more than 55,000 fans at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, Holm landed a thunderous head kick that ended Rousey’s record-setting bantamweight title reign after six defenses.
At the time, Rousey was not only the most dominant woman in MMA but also the face of the UFC, making Holm’s victory all the more historic. With Rousey’s fall, many believed Holm was destined to become the next big superstar in women’s MMA. But things didn’t pan out that way, and according to UFC president Dana White, the blame lies with Holm’s management team.
Dana White Blames Holly Holm’s Loss on Passing Up Ronda Rousey Rematch for Miesha Tate
Holm immediately lost her 135lbs crown to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 just four months after she won the gold. For the unversed, Tate was already beaten by Rousey on two separate occasions, once in Strikeforce and once in the UFC. And to add to the shock, the promotion never wanted Holm to face Tate in the first place.
In a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, White claimed that he pushed hard to book Holm in a rematch against Rousey. This could have been the biggest payday of her life, considering the fan interest in the bout. But according to him, Holm’s management passed on the offer.
Instead, they advised her to take a fight with Tate at UFC 196 headlined by Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz for the same money she earned in the first bout with Rousey.
White said, “These are the same guys that had Holly Holm, and in my opinion, ruined her life. She had the opportunity to rematch Ronda Rousey immediately 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.”
Dana White tells story of how Holly Holm’s team chose to have her face Miesha Tate rather than pursue an immediate rematch with Ronda Rousey, a decision that, according to White, cost Holm the opportunity to earn “life-changing money.”pic.twitter.com/1TtYiY9ZLz
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) September 11, 2025
As already mentioned, Rousey was still the face of the UFC, and a bout against her could have raked in big bucks for Holm. White reiterated that he tried to convince Holm’s team, but it just didn’t work out.
“So big drama goes on between us all,” White said. “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.”
White even claimed to have predicted the way Holm would lose to Tate at UFC 196. He added, “I told them in that meeting, ask my matchmakers, Lorenzo Fertitta, I said 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.”
March 5, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Miesha Tate (right) chokes Holly Holm into submission during UFC 196 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
White’s prediction turned out to be true. Holm battled Tate in a competitive fight, but ultimately lost her 135lbs title via fifth-round rear-naked choke. While Holm went on to compete in three more UFC title fights, she never captured another belt and eventually asked for her release from the promotion in early 2025. As for Rousey, her own MMA career ended shortly after suffering yet another knockout loss at UFC 207 against Amanda Nunes.
Nakisa Bidarian Pushes Back on Dana White’s Claims About Holly Holm’s UFC 196 Loss
Since leaving the UFC in January 2025, Holly Holm has returned to her boxing roots after signing with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). The company’s co-founder, Nakisa Bidarian, weighed in on Dana White’s recent claims in a reply to a post on X. Bidarian admitted there was some truth to what White said, but stressed that the story was incomplete.
He pointed out that after Rousey’s first career loss, there was actually no set timeline for her return, making an immediate rematch far from certain. He also pushed back on White’s description of the payday, saying it wasn’t “life-changing” money and certainly not comparable to an event going on to generate one million pay-per-view buys.
Almost accurate. What he fails to share is there was no timetable for Ronda’s return and the money we offered was not an unbelievable amount. It was good money, but not 1M PPV buys money in any way, shape or form.
Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor both just made more money than… https://t.co/iXLU08Qui0
— Nakisa Bidarian (@nakisa_bidarian) September 12, 2025
Bidarian added that boxers Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor both made more money than Holm or Rousey were even offered at the time. He concluded by acknowledging that White did predict Miesha Tate would choke Holm out, but emphasized that Holm ultimately chose to bet on herself in taking that fight.
This isn’t the first time White has made such claims. Back in 2015, shortly after UFC 196, he blamed Holm’s management, specifically her manager Lenny Fresquez, for the decision. White even alleged that Holm wasn’t present during negotiations for her next fight. Fresquez, however, countered that it was a team decision with Holm’s full input.
