Rousey targeted for UFC's NY debut – and champ Tate could fight twice before then

When the UFC makes its long-awaited debut in New York, there’s a good chance former titleholder Ronda Rousey will be part of the card.

Earlier this month, MMA’s longtime ban in New York was lifted, and UFC officials quickly announced a Nov. 12 pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Many fighters, especially those who hail from New York, have been stumping for a slot on the card, which comes on the 23rd anniversary of the first UFC event. But UFC President Dana White said one of the organization’s biggest stars – former women’s bantamweight champion Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) – could be a central piece of the lineup.

“(Rousey) definitely is part of the discussion,” White told ESPN’s “Beadle & Shelburne Show.” “She will fight whoever has that belt when she comes back.”

That would appear to be either current titleholder Miesha Tate (18-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who upset then-champ Holly Holm (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in March, or Tate’s UFC 200 opponent, Amanda Nunes (11-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who fights for the belt at the July 9 PPV event in Las Vegas. And while the winner would have four months between UFC 200 and the UFC-NY show, White isn’t counting out the possibility of squeezing in another title fight.

“I think Miesha, she’s fighting on (UFC) 200, and she might fight again before that (New York event),” he said. “She wants to fight. We’ll see what happens. Miesha’s been the No. 2 baddest woman in the world for years.

“For her to stay active right now makes sense. She’s wanted this belt for so long, and she finally got it. She’s ready to roll.”

Really, though? It’d be an obviously ambitious fight schedule for any UFC fighter, let alone a UFC champion. After all, titleholders rarely fight more than twice a year, but Tate could be have four fights between March and November.

Chalk it up to the suddenly wide-open title picture, he said.

“What’s cool right now in that 135-pound division is everyone is fighting right now,” White said. “The only one that isn’t fighting right now is Holly. Miesha could, depending on how – well, she’s fighting Amanda Nunes, who is very tough. So if anything crazy happens, if she came out of that fight with a quick win and 100 percent healthy, she could turn around and fight again then fight Ronda.”

For more on the UFC in New York City event and UFC 200, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.