Miesha Tate’s first defence of her bantamweight title will be against her nemesis Ronda Rousey.
Tate won the belt at the second attempt by choking out Holly Holm in the final round on Saturday night.
But to keep hold of it she must beat Rousey at the third time of asking.
The challenger can’t contain her joy as she leaves the unconscious champion lying on the Octagon floor
The challenger squeezes on Holm’s neck at the end of the second round as she tries to finish the fight
Tate previously lost her Strikeforce title to Rousey in 2012 before suffering defeat again a year later in the UFC.
Rousey went on to lose the belt to Holm when she was knocked out last November and Tate’s victory this weekend has left their planned rematch in tatters.
‘I think that Ronda now will fight Miesha Tate for the title,’ UFC president Dana White told ESPN. ‘That’s what’s going to happen. That’s what I said before this fight even happened, whoever wins tonight will fight Ronda for the title.’
White went on to say that Rousey did not watch the fight but upon hearing the result told him, ‘looks like I’ve got to get back to work’.
The former champion is, however, not due to return to the Octagon until the autumn due to a busy filming schedule.
Tate, meanwhile, said the identity of her next opponent was up to the UFC.
‘The right move is drinking a Budweiser and cupcakes,’ she said when asked about fighting Rousey again.
Tate is to defend her bantamweight title against her nemesis Ronda Rousey (right)
‘I said it felt like it was meant to be and it does, it turns out I like gold! I want to say thank you to Holly for stepping up when she could have waited.
‘In my mind that woman is still a champion and will always have a ton of my respect. If I ever have the honour of stepping in there again I would love to.
‘I felt she was getting the better of me on the feet and I thought in the fifth round I had to give it everything and finish this fight.
‘My job as the champion is to fight the next best person and whoever that is, I’ll fight her.
‘I don’t have a choice. It doesn’t matter to me; it’s my management’s responsibility and the UFC’s responsibility. My job is to show up and defend this belt so it makes no difference to me.’
Holm, who is also a former boxing world champion, said: ‘I just have to be honest with myself. I knew I was ahead on the scorecards and I maybe I felt I was too complacent instead of fighting with urgency.
‘I let her get too tight before I shook her off. It was a big mistake and it cost me everything. But I’ll be back.
‘It’s a growing experience. There’s also these odds on paper but for me it’s always 50/50; there’s a winner and a loser and that’s all there is to it.
‘I let my guard down too soon and it cost me the fight.’
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