Ronda Rousey had already made it clear who she wanted to win UFC 196’s bantamweight title fight.
Rousey had been stopped by Holly Holm last year in one of the UFC’s biggest ever shocks, and said she wanted to be the first to inflict defeat on ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’.
But now, as we know, Miesha Tate has that honour following a dramatic victory in Las Vegas.
And Dana White confirmed he expects the former champ’s return to the Octagon to come in a title bout against Tate later this year.
“I think that Ronda now will fight Miesha Tate for the final,” White said after UFC 196.
“That’s what I said before this fight happened – whoever wins this fight will fight Ronda.”
When asked about Rousey’s reaction to the surprise result, the UFC president revealed ‘Rowdy’ hadn’t even been watching.
“I did text Ronda. She said ‘what happened’ and I said ‘Miesha just choked her unconscious,'” White revealed.
“And she said ‘looks like I gotta get back to work!'”
White acknowledged that, while Rousey is not scheduled to return until October and November, there’s still some hope that she might be tempted back sooner.
The 29-year-old may have film commitments as she continues her fledgling Hollywood career, but when pressed about talking her into an earlier comeback White said “it doesn’t mean I can’t ask.”
