This year, Ronda Rousey grabbed headlines for her scathing remarks, aimed at Joe Rogan, while also directing her frustration toward the fanbase. As ‘Rowdy’s media appearances continued to pile up, one question kept surfacing: why the sudden outbursts? Well, her former opponent believes she has the answer, and even an offer to go with it.

The controversy stemmed from her appearance on Bert Kreischer’s podcast, where the former bantamweight queen spoke about MMA fans failing to show enough reverence toward their champions. To support her point, she also cited names like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Anderson Silva, and other titleholders. Once the clip went viral, criticism poured in from all sides. Now, ‘Rowdy’s former opponent Holly Holm believes Rousey’s outburst comes from lingering frustration over how her career ended. 

Holly Holm addresses the Ronda Rousey situation 

“I think Ronda, she definitely didn’t like how her career ended, but she’s a lot responsible for that. Because she pulled herself away, you see some of these champions that are reigning champions, they run into a hiccup, and they at least face the crowd, face the camera, face the fans, face it. I believe a little bit of higher respect in that aspect, and I think that a lot of fans were like, She just took off,’” ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ told MMA fighting.  

Well, there could be several reasons behind Holm sharing this view. However, it’s not going to be a stretch to say her thoughts stemmed from how Rousey handled the media during her comeback at UFC 207. In the lead-up to the event, ‘Rowdy’ kept her media appearances to a minimum, avoiding interviews altogether. After that media blackout, the 38-year-old suffered a loss to Amanda Nunes and soon shifted her focus to WWE. 

Top Stories

After Tracy Cortez Breakup, Brian Ortega Shares Emotional Confession on His Wife and Kids

“Ortega in Shambles”: Alex Pereira Stuns UFC Fans With Tracy Cortez Relationship Reveal on New Year’s Day

Khabib Nurmagomedov Explains Why He’ll “Never” Be Friends With Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje

Why UFC Great Dustin Poirier Doesn’t Need to Stay Retired in 2026

“RIP”: MMA Community Comes Together to Raise Funds for Family as Prominent Figure Dies at 45

Moreover, it is understandable that for a dominant champion like Rousey, back-to-back losses marked a steep fall from grace. Still, with the former 135-pound queen hinting at a possible return by continuing her MMA training, Holly Holm appears willing to give her a chance to address her first major setback. ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ seems open to running it back with her longtime rival, revisiting their iconic clash from UFC 193 in 2015. 

“I don’t know if Ronda will ever fight again, but if she does, I won’t be shocked. She was an Olympian. She was a champion. You don’t get to that point without having a passion for sports. A passion for what you want to do. If she’s back feeling that, that’d be great. I don’t think it will happen, but if it does, I mean, if she comes back. I’m always open for a rematch, too. You never know what’s going to happen with life,” Holm added in the MMA fighting interview.  

Now, as the Albuquerque native appears ready to give Rousey a chance to reclaim that loss, she also seems to have a deep understanding of the entire situation. Drawing from her own experience, Holly Holm spoke about how avenging a defeat can mean everything to competitive fighters and why that drive often fuels their desire to return. 

Holly Holm also wanted a shot at reclaiming some of her losses

For a competitive athlete, reclaiming a crucial loss often feels like a mission. The UFC has seen plenty of such examples, with one of the most notable being Israel Adesanya finally defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287. Drawing on that same mindset, Holly Holm explained that she, too, felt a strong desire to avenge her own pivotal losses during her career. 

“It’s one of those things, every loss I’ve had, I wish I had the chance to avenge it. I feel like every fighter should be able to have that, so who am I to say that somebody else can’t try and come back. I would never let that happen. I’d still get another win, that’s my whole goal. But yeah, every fight that I don’t have a victory on, I wish I could have had the chance to avenge it,” the 44-year-old said.

For the unversed, ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ immediately lost her bantamweight title to Miesha Tate after defeating Ronda Rousey. So yes, Holm also endured losses that left a mark on her career. What actually sets her apart from many fighters, though, is how she absorbed that setback, pushed forward, and continued competing even without reclaiming the belt.

That said, with both Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey slowly hinting at a return to action, do you think we could finally see this rematch more than a decade later? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.