Dana White: Rousey's next opponent unclear; Zingano, Davis favored over 'Cyborg,' Holm
LAS VEGAS – The UFC had a fight queued up for women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey immediately following her second title defense at UFC 168. But after her latest defense of the belt, her future is uncertain.
Rousey (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) earned a first-round TKO of Sara McMann (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 170 and left the promotion with questions about who will be next challenger to attempt to break her unbeaten streak.
Rousey is scheduled to begin filming a role in the movie version of HBO’s Entourage in March, and her work on “The Expendables 3″ will be seen in August. But after that, she is open to what the UFC has in store for her.
“I usually have a hard time staying away from the gym, so I’ll probably get bored within a couple of weeks, and whenever they need me, I’ll fight,†Rousey said at the post-event press conference, which took place at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center. “It seems late summer seems like a cool time, but I might want to fight sooner than that.â€
Asked by MMAjunkie who she has in mind for an opponent, she returned to Cat Zingano (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who this past fall earned a No. 1 contender spot only to see it go to Miesha Tate when she badly injured her knee. But she also mentioned another name that emerged from UFC 170′s preliminary card – Alexis Davis, who upset Jessica Eye via split decision.
“I think Cat Zingano really deserves to fight for the title at some point, but she’s still coming back from her injury, and I thought Alexis Davis did an amazing job tonight,†Rousey said. “It’s up to the UFC.â€
The soft-spoken Davis (16-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC) had no trouble getting on board as the next title contender.
“Of course I’ll say yes,†she said. “I’ve been fighting for so long, and who else is 3-0 in the UFC, other than the girl sitting right down from me?
“I want that shot. I’m the quiet girl that sits there, but I’m looking for it.â€
For now, though, UFC President Dana White is noncommittal about Rousey’s next fight. He agreed with the champ that Zingano should be next in line, but couldn’t provide an update on when Zingano would be ready to fight.
Adding to an already difficult 2013, Zingano’s husband, Mauricio, this past month committed suicide.
“The poor girl has been through a lot over the last year,†White said. “But I agree with Ronda. She’s next in line.â€
Of course, there were other names on the roster of possibilities for Rousey, one of which seemed a distant possibility not too long ago. White seemed to soften his stance toward former Strikeforce champ Cristiane Justino (12-1), who signed with the all-female Invicta FC after negotiations between the industry leader and her now-former managers, Tito Ortiz and George Prajin, failed to produce a deal.
“I think the genius put her in a box, because saying that you will die if you make 135 pounds is a pretty bold statement,†White said of Ortiz, adding, “she would probably have to make 135 pounds a couple of times somewhere else and fight and show that she’s healthy, and then we’ll see what happens.â€
After Rousey’s victory, Justino tweeted to White to make the fight happen for December. Asked for his response, White quipped, “OK, I’m on it.â€
“She’s got to make weight a few times, and then we’ll see what happens,†he continued. “There’s a lot of things that would have to happen. First, we’d have to come to a deal; she’d have to fight a couple of times at 135 somewhere else; and if she’s healthy, maybe we can do it.â€
And then there was Holly Holm (6-0), who spoke to MMAjunkie about a possible deal with the UFC and welcomed the idea of a fight with Rousey. That isn’t enough, however, to put her on the list, according to White.
“She’s never even fought here before, so no,†said White of Holm being in title consideration, though he added he was open to the idea of having the former boxing champ try her hand in the octagon.
There’s far more time for the UFC to figure out its next step with Rousey occupied in the meantime. While many fans might say Justino is the most intriguing of the options, there appear to be no shortage of fighters willing to step up.
