Holly Holm took a huge risk by taking a fight with Miesha Tate at UFC 196 rather than waiting for a rematch with Ronda Rousey in October or November. That gamble did not pay off for Holm as she lost by submission to Tate and subsequently gave away her shot at another massive payday against Rousey.
UFC president Dana White thinks Holm was given bad advice from her manager and should have stayed out of the Octagon until the Rousey fight. White went on the Russillo and Kanell show on ESPN Radio on Wednesday and said he felt bad for Holm for how it all went down.
"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."
It's a valid point that Holm lost out on a lot of money by losing to Tate. A rematch with Rousey would have been a massive payday for Holm, but one would think White would be a bit more supportive of a champion wanting to defend the belt regularly.
White's comments about how Holm should have held onto the belt and waited out Rousey's return are interesting considering he has been effusive in his praise of Conor McGregor for being willing to take the fight with Nate Diaz at a new weight class on short notice despite his loss.
The main difference between the two is that McGregor still holds his 145-pound belt despite the loss at 170 pounds, while Holm is no longer a title holder.
The other difference is that White now has to promote another Rousey-Tate bout after Ronda has won their two previous matchups convincingly. The intrigue -- and most importantly to the UFC -- revenue that will be brought in by Rousey-Tate III is not nearly what would have been possible for Rousey-Holm II.
