LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 5: UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm (L) kicks Miesha Tate takes during UFC 196 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

Despite rumors to the contrary, Miesha Tate was never offered a rematch with Holly Holm for UFC 200, according to Tate’s manager Josh Jones, who said the idea of a rematch was never discussed.

This past Wednesday (April 6), UFC announced that Tate would battle for the bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes July 9 in Las Vegas.

“A fight with Holly Holm was never discussed when we met with the UFC,” Jones said to MMA Fighting. “We all agreed that Miesha should fight the best available and at this time it’s Amanda Nunes, who is currently on a three-fight win streak.”

However, Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez told the Albuquerque Journal that it was Tate’s choice to fight Nunes and not Holm at UFC 200, muddying the picture.

“It was Miesha’s decision,” Fresquez said. “It was her decision to fight Nunes. That’s what the UFC told me.”

 

Tate told MMA Junkie a different story, saying that UFC brought up fighting Nunes to her and she accepted.

“They thought that Amanda was the next best girl in line,” Tate explained. “They were like, ‘Look, you just beat Holly. You finished her.’ They didn’t feel that it was necessary to have an immediate rematch; it didn’t warrant an immediate rematch. It wasn’t one of those performances or such a crazy fight that we’ve got to have an immediate rematch.”

“We’d like to see that fight,” Fresquez said of the rematch. “We were expecting to get the fight. After all the trouble Miesha had getting a title fight, we gave her the opportunity. We feel like she took the easy way out, she took the easier fight.”

Up next for Holm could be a match with Cris Cyborg (Cristiane Justino). That fight was offered to Holm for UFC 198, but Holm’s team was hoping for a rematch with Tate. Now, if Cyborg beats Leslie Smith May 14, Holm might be willing to revisit that possibility. According to Fresquez, however, the match would have to be the main event of a pay-per-view event, not part of an undercard.

[MMA Fighting]

About Matt Lichtenstadter

Recent Maryland graduate. I've written for many sites including World Soccer Talk, GianlucaDiMarzio.com, Testudo Times, Yahoo's Puck Daddy Blog and more. Houndstooth is still cool, at least to me. Follow me @MattsMusings1 on Twitter, e-mail me about life and potential jobs at matthewaaron9 at Yahoo dot com.