Reporting from Las Vegas — Holly Holm is now the one who wants a rematch — with Miesha Tate, not Ronda Rousey.
Conor McGregor said he was so humbled following his loss to Nate Diaz that he was “heartbroken.”
The events of UFC 196 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday were staggering, as will be the repercussions.
Driven by their competitive fire, both Holm and McGregor made decisions to accept their Saturday fights. In hindsight, the moves require a big fix.
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Instead of waiting for the massive purse of a fall rematch with Rousey while wearing her women’s bantamweight belt, Holm, 34, opted to stay more active following her November triumph in Australia and pushed the UFC for a match against Tate.
Images and comments from the post-UFC 196 news conference at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
UFC President Dana White said Saturday night on ESPN that Tate will fight Rousey next.
White said he texted Rousey, who was seen on social media watching the fight on her phone from a wrestling event in Reseda, and she texted, “Gonna have to get back to work ... .”
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While Holm (10-1) relied on her world-champion boxing skill to win three of the first four rounds, Tate took her down in the fifth, then impressively maintained a chokehold on Holm’s neck while being flipped, flexing the rear naked choke to win by submission with 90 seconds remaining in the final round.
“I want to fight Miesha tomorrow,” Holm said. “Everyone before this fight was saying, ‘Why are you taking this fight? You should be going for the rematch.’ You know what, I’m in it to fight. Tonight, I made some mistakes. I’ll fix those mistakes and come back stronger. Miesha capitalized; she’s a scrapper. I let my guard down, and it cost me the fight. I wanted to take this challenge.”
Ireland’s McGregor (19-3) could’ve chosen a lighter man or not accepted Diaz’s hedging to fight at welterweight — 25 pounds above the popular featherweight champion’s typical weight limit.
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Stockton’s Diaz (20-11) submitted McGregor in the second round after rocking him with heavy punches earlier in the round.
And now there’s some luster off the charismatic fighter who was becoming the UFC’s most popular, reflected by the 14,898 who attended his non-title bout against a substitute opponent, generating an $8.1-million gate. He expressed continued interest in fighting at UFC 200 in July at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, likely back at 145 pounds.
“This is part of the game. I took the fight. It didn’t work,” McGregor said. “[Diaz] can take a hell of a shot. It is what it is. I came up short. I took a chance; it didn’t pay off. I’ll get back.”
McGregor immediately found incentive to move on, seeing a tweet posted from featherweight champion Jose Aldo relishing his rival’s loss after McGregor knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds in December.
“That’s the sign of a loser,” McGregor said.
“I know there’s a lot of celebrating this in the featherweight division. I’m the featherweight champion. I feel it is right to go back down and remind them of what I have achieved. I still feel UFC 200 is there for me. I’m simply heartbroken. I’ll pick myself up, and we’ll figure it out in the morning.
“Usually, I fight a man in my division, and they crumble with those shots. Nate took them very well. The weight allowed him to take those shots. With a little bit of an adjustment and a recognition that, with the bigger man, you have to be more efficient with my shots … I made some errors. Hats off to Nate. It was a battle of energy he got the better of.”
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McGregor said former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar makes the most sense to be his next opponent, given Aldo’s prior withdrawal from their July 2015 date because of a rib injury.
White said the penciled-in script for what was to be with the expected McGregor and Holm victories has become seriously unsettled.
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Conor McGregor, left, and Nate Diaz exchange punches during their welterweight fight at UFC 196 on March 5. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times )
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Nate Diaz takes down Conor McGregor during their non-title welterweight bout at UFC 196 in Las Vegas on March 5. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times )
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Nate Diaz grapples with Conor McGregor during their welterweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Nate Diaz takes down Conor McGregor during their UFC 196 fight on Saturday night.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Nate Diaz celebrates his win over Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Nate Diaz celebrates his win over Conor McGregor after their non-title welterweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate goes for a single-leg takedown against Holly Holm during their women’s bantamweight title bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Holly Holm, bottom, tries to fend off Miesha Tate during their women’s bantamweight title fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Holly Holm lands a big left against Miesha Tate during their UFC 196 women’s bantamweight championship fight.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Holly Holm, left, and Miesha Tate trade kicks during their women’s bantamweight title fight at UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate takes down Holly Holm during their UFC 196 women’s bantamweight title fight. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate sinks the chokehold on Holly Holm that led to a submission in the fifth round of their women’s bantamweight championship fight at UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate springs to her feet after defeating Holly Holm by submission in the women’s bantamweight championship fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Miesha Tate celebrates after defeating Holly Holm at UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Gian Villante, left, tries to block a kick by Ilir Latifi during their bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Gian Villante, left, and Ilir Latifi grapple during their light-heavyweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Gian Villante, left, tries to prevent a takedown by Ilir Latifi during their light-heavyweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko tries to land a knee against Amanda Nunes during their women’s bantamweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko, left, sends Amanda Nunes reeling during their UFC 196 women’s bantamweight bout.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko, left, tries to fend off the attack by Amanda Nunes in a women’s bantamweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Amanda Nunes has the upper hand during her UFC 196 bout against Valentina Shevchenko.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Amanda Nunes, left, has a kick blocked by Valentina Shevchenko during their UFC 196 women’s bantamweight fight.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko, right, lands a right during her UFC 196 bout against Amanda Nunes.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Valentina Shevchenko, bloody face and all, is ready for more action during her UFC 196 women’s bantamweight fight against Amanda Nunes.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Valentina Shevchenko was able to fend off the attacks by Amanda Nunes to win the women’s bantamweight bout by unanimous decision at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson, left, lands an overhand right against Tom Lawlor during UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson works from the top against Tom Lawlor during their light-heavyweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson, left, and Tom Lawlor trade blows during their light-heavyweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson takes down Tom Lawlor during their light-heavyweight fight at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson completes a takedown agianst Tom Lawlor during their UFC 196 fight.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Corey Anderson raises his arms after defeating Tom Lawlor in a light-heavyweight bout at UFC 196.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Brandon Thatch punches Siyar Bahadurzada during their bout at UFC 196.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Brandon Thatch lands a kick against Siyar Bahadurzada during their UFC 196 bout.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Siyar Bahadurzada celebrates after defeating Brandon Thatch during UFC 196.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Vitor Miranda kicks Marcelo Guimaraes during their UFC 196 bout.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Marcelo Guimaraes, left, and Vitor Miranda trade punches in the middle of the octagon during their UFC 196 bout.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Nordine Taleb celebrates after defeating Erick Silva at UFC 196 on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Darren Elkins (top) slams Chas Skelly to the canvas during their UFC 196 bout on Saturday night.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Diego Sanchez, left, follows through after punching Jim Miller during their bout at UFC 196.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Jim Miller lands a kick against Diego Sanchez during their UFC 196 bout in Las Vegas.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Julian Erosa attempts a kick against Teruto Ishihara during their bout at UFC 196.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Teruto Ishihara sends Julian Erosa to the canvas before winning by a technical knockout in the second round of their UFC 196 bout.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Jason Saggo celebrates after defeating Justin Salas at UFC 196.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
“I don’t know. We’ll see how this thing plays out,” White said. “We weren’t planning [UFC] 200 until tonight played out, anyway. Sixteen years in this business, the one thing you don’t do is plan out what will happen.”
In addition to figuring out McGregor’s next bout, White has to decide when a third Tate-Rousey fight — Rousey won the first two — would take place and when Holm would fight again, and against whom. White had hoped for a Rousey-Holm rematch in what he previously said would be the most lucrative UFC fight in history.
“I’ll talk to my management and the UFC and make a decision,” Tate said. “My job as champion is to fight the next-best fighter, whoever that is.”
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Meanwhile, Diaz urged the UFC to promote him more, and McGregor suggested that Diaz fight the lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos, whose foot injury led McGregor to fight at 170.
Also Saturday, another UFC 200 possibility was raised when former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre attended the card. Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler needs a fight by the summer.
“Have we talked to Georges? Yes,” White said. “I honestly don’t know if Georges still wants to fight.”
After Saturday, White honestly doesn’t know many things.
