Not surprisingly, the promotion tried to book an immediate rematch. The buildup to their second showdown would have undoubtedly dominated the headlines and returned beaucoup bucks at the box office. There was just one little problem when it came time to put pen to paper to book Holm vs. Rousey 2.
“These are the same guys that had Holly Holm and in my opinion ruined her life,” White told The Jim Rome Show. “She had the opportunity to immediately rematch Ronda Rousey and for unbelievable money. They turned it down and they said, ‘We don’t want that fight, we’ll fight Miesha Tate for the same money we have now.’ So big drama goes on between us all.”
“I said, ‘So you want to fight the second-baddest woman in the world for the same money instead of fighting [Ronda Rousey]?’ [They said] ‘Yes, that’s what we want.’ I told them in that meeting, ask my matchmakers, Lorenzo Fertitta. I said, ‘She’s going to lose by choke. She’s going to choke her out.‘ That’s exactly what happened. For the same money, instead of fighting Ronda for life-changing money that would have changed her life.”
White’s claim was immediately fact-checked by Nakisa Bidarian, who now operates as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). Bidarian previously served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for several years under White and Co. during the ZUFFA era.
Turns out the tale is “almost” true.
“Almost accurate,” Bidarian wrote on social media. “What he fails to share is there was no timetable for Ronda’s return and the money we offered was not an unbelievable amount. It was good money, but not 1M PPV buys money in any way, shape or form. He did say Miesha would choke her out but Holly wanted to stay active and believed in herself.”
